NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans appear poised to hire Rams offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur as their new offensive coordinator.
It’s a coup for Mike Vrabel, who was hired as the Titans head coach on Jan. 22.
LaFleur was one of three candidates general manager Jon Robinson interviewed for the Titans head coaching post, which opened when Mike Mularkey fired on Jan. 15.
In time with Houston, Washington and Atlanta, LaFleur, 38, has worked under three offensive minds who did good work putting quarterbacks on the move: Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan and Mike Shanahan.
He will be a first-time NFL play-caller in Tennessee.
With the Rams, he helped reshape Jared Goff in a breakthrough offensive season.
But his boss, head coach Sean McVay, is the Los Angeles play-caller and McVay apparently didn’t want to stand in the way of a top lieutenant advancing his career.
If LaFleur is successful in his chance to work with Marcus Mariota and retool the Titans offense would be big for him if he aspired to get more interviews for head coaching openings.
In LaFleur, Vrabel has found a coordinator with a resume that suggests an ability to use the mobile Mariota effectively.
Vrabel said when he was hired that the modern NFL dictates teams embrace spread concepts.
Asked for an outline of what he wanted the Titans' offense to be, he offered this:
“I think we’re going to run the football. We’re going to run it from the quarterback being under center, we’re going to run it from the quarterback being in gun. We’re going to give Marcus some easy access throws, whether that be RPOs or run reliefs. We’re not going to 
run it into eight or nine guys, we’re not going to be silly. I believe in screens, I believe in play-action, things that he does well. …We’re going to run the football and we’re going to do it from different ways, front different backfield alignments.”
The Titans do not have a great history with offensive coordinators since the franchise's move to Tennessee.
Les Steckel held the post for the 1999 Super-Bowl team, then left for Tampa Bay. Jeff Fisher tabbed Mike Heimerdinger to replace him, and in two separate stints with the Titans, he was the best play-caller of the Tennessee era.
Norm Chow, Chris Palmer, Dowell Loggains and Terry Robiskie didn't approach him.
I expect LaFleur will.
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