Todd

Downing

A longtime ally of Aaron Rodgers, Hackett’s play calling and scheming has once again failed to produce. Rodgers, according to SNY TV’s Connor Hughes, is “on board” with the switch to Downing following a miserable start to the season for New York’s offense. The Jets through Week 5 are 18th in yards per play (4.5), 22nd in first downs, and 24th in EPA per play. They have used pre-snap motion at one of the lowest rates in the NFL. Downing was most recently offensive coordinator for the Titans from 2021 to 2022. In his final season in Tennessee, Downing’s Titans offense ranked 26th in points and 29th in yards.

Downing and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett make for an interesting duo to turn around the Jets’ offensive woes. In his two seasons as the Titans’ offensive coordinator, Downing’s offense never finished higher than 15th in points per game and ranked 24th and 30th in passing yards per game. A trade for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers would give Downing and the Jets much more to work with heading into next season, but for now, the Jets’ offensive struggles are anything but solved.

Downing appears to be serving only a few days in jail, but it is still part of a stunning fall for an assistant who was fired earlier this month. He will reportedly remain behind bars until Thursday. The NFL has never let a drunk driving arrest stop it from recycling coaches before, but it’s going to be a long time before Downing gets another coordinator opportunity.

Downing spent the last two seasons as the Titans’ offensive coordinator after beginning his tenure with the team in 2019 as the tight ends coach. While he proved more than capable of establishing the run with a premiere running back in Derrick Henry, Downing’s aerial attack never really got off the ground in 2022. The Titans finished the season ranked 28th in points per game (17.5) and were 30th in passing yards per game (171.4), due in part to the injuries to Ryan Tannehill and rookie Malik Willis being a far from polished passer. Derrick Henry will be 29 at the start of next season, putting him well past the age cliff. Whether it’s next season or not, the Titans need an offensive plan to pivot to when they can no longer hand it off to Henry 25 times a game. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Vrabel hire an offensive coordinator who can move the offense in a more modern direction in 2023. The Titans also cut ties with offensive line coach Keith Carter, secondary coach Anthony Midget, and offensive skill assistant Erik Frazier.

Downing, fresh off the Titans’ upset win against the Packers, spent the night in jail before posting bond at 7 a.m., according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Downing’s offense was highly efficient against a deflated Green Bay defense that could neither stop the run nor the pass, with Ryan Tannehill throwing for 333 yards, 76 more than his previous season high. Tannehill threw two touchdowns as the Titans stayed aggressive in the second half while nursing a lead. Downing could face discipline from the team or the league.

Downing replaces Arthur Smith, who was hired as the Falcons’ head coach this offseason. This is Downing’s second stint as an offensive coordinator, as he previously served as Raiders’ playcaller in 2017. The Titans never showed much outside interest, with Texans QB coach Pep Hamilton the only other candidate to interview for the job. With Downing promoted, Tennessee may look to hire a defensive coordinator after going without one last season.

It’s the same position Downing held in Minnesota last season. He’s taking the place of Arthur Smith, who the Titans recently promoted to offensive coordinator. Still just 38, Downing has worked in the NFL in some capacity since 2001. In Tennessee, he’ll work closely with Delanie Walker and Jonnu Smith.

Cronin adds Downing “was offered at least two different roles” with the Vikings, but he decided to explore other opportunities. Only 38, Downing was once a fast riser who landed the Raiders’ offensive coordinator job in 2017. He will almost certainly land on a staff before next season.

It appears the Raiders let OC Bill Musgrave walk for the express purpose of promoting Downing, who is a sprightly 36 years old. Per the San Francisco Chronicle’s Vic Tafur, Downing was a “hot” coaching candidate, and had been contacted by 4-5 teams. Beginning with Detroit in 2011, Downing has been coaching quarterbacks for six years. He has never coordinated an offense. The Raiders are obviously extremely high on the work he’s done with Derek Carr.

“We’re going to keep the same system terminology. There’s no reason to change any of that stuff,” Downing said. “All we’re doing right now is finding the ways that we can all individually do our jobs better, prepare our positions better, and how we can just quarter-turn a couple things to make the offense as efficient as possible.” Considering Oakland finished sixth in total offense and seventh in scoring in 2016, Downing does not have much to “fix,” but his head coach probably would like to the see the running game emphasized more consistently.