INDIANAPOLIS – The Titans haven’t thrown away the idea of Brian Callahan as a quarterback molder after a bad year of Will Levis. Still, they are likely to make a hard move away from Levis in Callahan’s second season.
The second-year coach is sure to influence Mike Borgonzi’s choices as he scans free agency and the draft in which he holds the No. 1 pick. Less likely, the Titans could pull a trade despite their continued talk of gathering picks.
“You have to get that right,” Borgonzi (pictured) said. “We have to solidify that position. … We have one quarterback on the roster so we’re bringing people in.
Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine where they will meet with Cam Ward for the first time and Shedeur Sanders again and have at least an informal visit with every other quarterback present, coach and GM delved into several quarterback-related issues.
To Draft a QB or Not to Draft a QB
“Listen, there is always pressure to win in this league but we want to build it the right way and make the best decisions that we can make and are appropriate at that time,” Borgonzi said. “If we think quarterback is the right decision at that time, we’re going to take if.
“If we don’t think so then we’re going to fill another void on the roster to try to help us out. We’re certainly not going to make rash decisions just because we’re trying to fix every hole here in a matter of months.”
Said Callahan: “We’re going to try to find the best player for us, whatever that looks like. There are really good players at the top of this draft at a couple of different positions. That’s our job from now until the draft is to find out: What is the best thing for us as an organization. If that ends up being a quarterback, then I’ll be thrilled about it. If it ends up being something else, I’ll also be very excited about it.”
This lines up with the prevalent thinking that picked up on what Borgonzi and Vice President of Football Operations Chad Brinker gave out when Borgonzi was introduced. They talked about patience and good decision-making.
While they also complimented both Ward and Sanders, there is no outward indication they are going to pounce on a QB in April, and there is no reason for them to be coy about it sitting where they are sitting.
Trade Potential
Serious trade conversations are not happening yet.
But Borgonzi said he doesn’t think the pick is devalued because of the way the top two QBs are viewed by outsiders
“If someone is trading up for a quarterback, that means there is a lot of value in it,” he said. “…It could be another position too. We’ll find that out. We’re going to gather all that information.
“Any time you’re trading up for the No. 1 pick, you’re going to expect a big return. So that’s our expectation.”
Free Agent vs. Draft Pick
Some believe if the Titans sign a free veteran agent, they’d be signaling they won’t take a QB No. 1.
First, how good is the free agent and what sort of deal does he get? It is hard not to surround a new quarterback with talent from the top of the draft. But we just saw Atlanta sign Kirk Cousins to a very big contract and draft Michael Penix high. The Titans aren't going to give a Cousins-sized contract to anyone.
And it’s not really about if the Titans would take a QB first, it’s about another team trading up for the guy you might want to fall to you if you don’t trade up to get him yourself.
Callahan said he doesn’t care by what route the Titans get their next signal-caller.
“I think we’re trying to get the best player period, whatever that looks like for us,” he said. “It doesn’t make any difference to me. Get as many good players as we can find. It’s our job to coach them. It’s our job as a staff to put them in position to have success. I don’t worry about anything other than that. As many good players as we can get, it's our job to fit them into our schemes. … you build your systems around the talent.”
Generational
Brinker said at Borgonzi’s introduction that the Titans wouldn’t pass on a generational talent with the No. 1 pick.
So Borgonzi was asked if there are any in this draft and he said there are. Then he defined it.
“It’s a rare skill set of talent, an impact player that can take the team to another level, whatever position it is,” he said. “And then they also have to have the character makeup as well.”
Again, there may be salesmanship at play here. Want the No. 1 pick? Well, we said we weren’t passing on generational talent and we see generational talent, so you’re really going to have to pry it away from us.
Fix vs. Improve
Callahan was asked about viewing a problematic element of a quarterback prospect and thinking he could fix it.
“I’m very careful with being able to proclaim you can fix something,” he said. “There are definitely things you can improve, that are coachable, that are quote-unquote fixable. But you’ve also got to be very mindful of what it is you are thinking you can fix. And I think you have to guard against that as a coach, cause as a coach you’re always very confident, ‘I can fix that, I can fix that. And sometimes you can’t and that’s OK, you can’t fix every issue every player has.
“But are they things you can work with? Whatever it is you think you can fix, can you deal with it if you can’t fix it to the way you need to? So that’s a tricky proposition when you’re talking about fixing players, you’ve got to guard against the overconfidence that a coach can have sometimes. You have to be able to be honest about what is an actual fixable trait or technique. Or is it just how they play the game?”
He mentioned Patrick Mahomes as an example, indicating the early temptation there would have been to coach the superhero element out of his game before realizing it’s his defining characteristic.
That’s already being interpreted by some as a Ward endorsement, as he strays from formula to make things happen, sometimes with great results.
I think that’s a stretch to presume he was talking specifically about Ward.
Alternatives in the Draft
The Titans have 45 official 18-minute visits with prospects of their choosing here, but they can also pull other players aside and have informal chats with them. Callahan said they will touch base with every quarterback here. Fifteen were on the invite list.
He reiterated that Ward and Sanders have earned the right to be in the conversation at the top.
“There are some other good players in this class too,” he said.
What Callahan Seeks
I asked Callahan if the quarterback qualities he wants exist in a player in this draft.
“Those qualities, decision-making, timing accuracy, scouting quarterbacks is not an exact science," Callahan said. "You can see over the years that there have been really quality players that you think had it and maybe didn’t show up when it actually came time and then there are ones that you weren’t sure if they did and just show up and play well.
“So those are things that we have to do our due diligence on and make sure we’re trying to unturn all the stones – the tape the person the workouts, all that stuff is a part of the process to try to make the best decision we can when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks.”
Sanders’ Arm Strength
One of the big questions about Sanders is whether his arm strength will be sufficient for the NFL.
“I think he has plenty of arm strength,” Borgonzi said. “Some of the anticipatory throws sometimes make up for the lack of arm strength. Certainly, we’ve seen quarterbacks over the years that are able to do that because they are able to anticipate better. A lot of that has to do with field instincts too. If a player has really good field instincts and vision, a feel for it to anticipate some of those throws. There have been successful quarterbacks who really haven’t had great arm talent play in the league.”
Maybe he should have said “star in the league,” as that’s true and the Titans are trying to sell Sanders. If they value and want him, it seems unlikely they’d take him at No. 1.
Want him or not, it benefits the Titans for Sanders to rate well and to look like the best possible prospect. They want teams to covet Ward and Sanders in the event they aren’t drafting either first overall and want to trade down to a team that covets one of them.
Callahan picked up where Borgonzi left off discussing the arm of the Colorado QB.
“There is a requisite arm strength, right?” Callahan said. “You have to be able to make a certain amount of throws down the field, outside the numbers, those things, but then the other part is the ability to anticipate and make a decision that puts the ball in the right window. Those things all matter. You don’t have to have the strongest arm in the entire draft.
“But there is a threshold, there is a minimum requisite. But the rest of that stuff matters. I think just as much, the ability to anticipate, throw on time, throw it accurately. There is a lot of different ways it looks, there are a lot of different ways quarterbacks can play. I hesitate to (say) that fitting in one bucket is more important than the other. But the whole picture has to fit.”
Ward’s Multiple Locations
Borganzi said he saw good signs from the fact that Ward has success at Incarnate Word, Washington State and Miami.
“One, you can pick up the playbook and the knowledge from place to place, in a short amount of time and then two, to have your teammates gravitate towards you in such a short amount of time and become a leader, that’s impressive,” he said.
Two Evaluations
Callahan said the evaluation process is two-fold.
“Two-pronged approach,” he said. “Evaluation of the tape. And then there is learning about them as a person: How do they see football, how do they interact with their teammates? How do they interact in your building when you bring them in. all those touchpoints now are starting.
"So we’ve got the evaluation of the tape. Now you’re trying to figure out how that tape matches up with the person, their knowledge of football, their knowledge of schematics, where those things are good or where they might need to improve.”