NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Pairing offensive coordinator Brian Daboll with second-year quarterback Cam Ward was one of the crucial vital strikes for brand new Tennessee Titans coach Robert Saleh.
Ward’s improvement right into a franchise quarterback is the important thing to Saleh’s success in his second stint as a head coach. Saleh feels he is made a great quarterback-offensive coordinator pairing.
“[Daboll] is the right man to match up with Cam and to maximise who he’s,” Saleh mentioned throughout his introductory information convention final month.
Titans common supervisor Mike Borgonzi now has so as to add the required choices that may permit Daboll’s offense to work.
Daboll’s roots offensively are entrenched within the Erhardt-Perkins system, which he realized as a large receivers coach with the New England Patriots beneath offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. The Erhardt-Perkins system focuses on high-percentage, shorter passes combined with deep play-action photographs.
It was initially extra of a run-focused scheme earlier than evolving to a higher concentrate on the passing sport beneath Weis, which maximized the usage of slot receivers catching the high-percentage brief passes. Weis used the Erhardt-Perkins system to assist maximize the flexibility and shiftiness of slot receivers.
A have a look at the Titans’ roster rapidly reveals a level of uncertainty on the place. Positive, Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike every had a team-leading 4 receiving touchdowns as rookies final season. Gunnar Helm’s 44 receptions set a single-season franchise file for rookie tight ends.
The three second-year go catchers have already got excellent chemistry with Ward, however one other ingredient is required for the Titans’ offense to take off.
The Patriots Tremendous Bowl-winning groups within the early 2000s featured Troy Brown because the main go catcher from the slot with Weis calling the performs. New England’s offense was only when it had Brown working the slot and Deion Department lining up in a number of spots, together with inside. Quarterback Tom Brady and the receivers began to see the sport via the identical lens and relied on a fast, timing-based passing sport. Brady threw to spots understanding the receiver would get to them.
Daboll wasn’t in a position to repeat that success when he served as offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 2009 and 2010, with the Miami Dolphins in 2011 or the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in 2012. However he managed to implement one other facet of his offensive strategy when he returned to the Patriots because the tight ends coach from 2013 to 2016 beneath offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
These Patriots groups featured tight finish Rob Gronkowski and slot receiver Julian Edelman. Brady was comfortably in a position to work the center of the sector to Gronkowski, Edelman and to a lesser diploma, fellow slot receiver Danny Amendola.
Edelman was used throughout the formation, however rapidly realized what it took to be a contributor from the slot.
“When you’re in a position to digest and course of data, that is if you bought a number of balls,” Edelman mentioned through Patriots.com. “It comes with with the ability to take pre-snap footage and post-snap footage and with the ability to see change in protection and acknowledge what is going on on and with the ability to modify on the fly. Your route could possibly be one thing fully totally different whereas being on the identical web page because the quarterback.”
Armed with a brand new understanding of the scheme, Daboll turned the offensive coordinator at Alabama in 2017, leading to a nationwide championship. Calvin Ridley’s 63 receptions for 967 yards and 5 touchdowns led the crew that yr. Ridley mentioned he performed the slot much more throughout his junior season beneath Daboll. Daboll is now reunited with Ridley in Tennessee. Nevertheless, Ridley’s $26.5 million cap determine may result in the Titans’ releasing him.
Given the state of the receivers room, Daboll’s earlier success with Ridley and the Titans having over $100 million in cap area, it is not out of the realm for them to maintain the veteran receiver and signal a free agent corresponding to Wan’Dale Robinson to man the slot.
At Daboll’s most up-to-date cease because the coach of the New York Giants, he took benefit of Robinson’s capability to create separation and deal with a high-target quantity — much like his previous slot receivers. Robinson caught 93 passes with the Giants beneath Daboll in 2024 and had 53 of his 92 receptions earlier than Daboll was fired after Week 10 final season.
Daboll’s most profitable time as a playcaller was with the Buffalo Payments, the place he was the offensive coordinator from 2018 to 2021. He helped rework Buffalo right into a top-tier offense, peaking in 2020 because the NFL’s No. 2 scoring unit — averaging 31.3 factors per sport.
Quarterback Josh Allen’s profession took off that season, and it is no coincidence that their success occurred after the Payments acquired Stefon Diggs from the Minnesota Vikings. Daboll labored a one-two punch at receiver with Cole Beasley primarily within the slot and Diggs working throughout the formation to create favorable matchups. Allen handed for a career-high 4,544 yards, and Diggs posted 127 receptions for 1,535 yards, each profession highs. Beasley’s 82 catches for 967 yards had been profession highs as nicely.
Nobody is saying Tennessee will the offensive output from the 2020 Payments, however the possibilities of doing so will solely improve if the Titans encompass Ward with the required expertise to execute Daboll’s scheme.
