NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Titans executive Bryce Wasserman is moving from chief of staff in the football administration department to a new combination title: football counsel/ head of research.
That means he won’t be replacing the recently departed Chad Brinker either as president of football operations or some lesser-titled equivalent. That's a move I thought was possible for Amy Adams Strunk’s son-in-law, based on some buzz from current and former employees' feelings about his trajectory.
It remains unclear if the Titans intend to replace Brinker, who left the team on April 28, saying he wanted to return to the personnel side of the business.
Brinker was elevated from assistant general manager to president of football operations at the start of 2024, and the franchise spelled out how important it was that GM Ran Carthon, and then Mike Borgonzi, had a narrower, dedicated focus on personnel while putting together a roster. Brinker held final say on personnel in 2024 and 2025 before Amy Adams Strunk flipped it to Borgonzi at the start of 2026.
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Whether the Titans continue assigning oversight of analytics, salary cap management and other departments to a Brinker-style executive will tell us a lot about how committed they truly were to the structure.
If they do not replace him in some meaningful way, it will indicate the setup was more about compensating for Carthon’s shortcomings than a philosophical commitment to dividing responsibilities.
Here is the team’s description of Wasserman’s new title: “Responsible for integrating legal expertise, strategic research and data-driven analysis to support scouting, coaching and football admin.”
That means he’s got oversight of the three-person research and development department of Sarah Bailey, its director; Erin Psajdi Davis, the coordinator, and Alex Rogers, football data analyst. [UPDATE, May 12: Bailey "is out," per Seth Walder.]
Rather than taking on work that previously belonged to Adolpho Burch, the team’s senior vice president and chief external and legal affairs officer or Valeria Williams, the team’s general counsel, Wasserman's new title reflects his proficiency as an attorney on cap issues, player insurance and more. Indications are he's already been contributing in that area.
Nicole Kesten, who was assistant to the president of football operations, takes over Wasserman’s old job as chief of staff of football operations.
This is a typical time of year for promotions and additions outside of the coaching staff to become public.
The team announced Shepley Heard’s hiring. That he is joining the team to be an area scout after a long term in Atlanta was previously reported by Neil Statton and confirmed here.
The rest of the promotions
• Lauren Antle – Performance Dietitian
• Cam Baker – Associate Athletic Trainer
• Mike Boni – Director, College Scouting
• Kaylee Connors – Manager, Football Communications
• Kieran Gilbert – Coordinator, Team Operations
• Nick Hardesty – Director, Team Operations
• Nicole Kesten – Chief of Staff, Football
• Alex Kline – Pro Scout
• Geo Leins – Area Scout
• Travis McDaniel – Coordinator, Football Communications
• Kevin Perez – Executive Assistant to the General Manager
• Lauren Silvio – Director, Performance Nutrition
• Wes Slay – National Scout
• Clay Taylor – Associate Athletic Trainer
• Kristen Van Iderstine – Coordinator, Player Personnel
• Bryce Wasserman – Football Counsel/Head of Football Research
• Patrick Woo – Manager, College/Pro Scouting