Titans Interview Brandon Lynch For DC; Team Retaining Shane Bowen During Search
After the Browns put together a quality defensive season, one of their assistants is on the coordinator radar. Brandon Lynch is the first of Jim Schwartz‘s assistants to land such a meeting.
The four-year Browns assistant met with the Titans on Tuesday, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets. Brown spent the 2023 season as Cleveland’s cornerbacks coach. The 41-year-old assistant spent most of the 2010s in the college ranks, but new Tennessee HC Brian Callahan certainly has observed Lynch’s work in recent years.
Callahan’s Bengals wideouts tussled with the Browns’ corners twice a year. The Browns initially hired Lynch to be their assistant DBs coach under Joe Woods in 2020; despite the DC changeover last year, the team retained Lynch. Denzel Ward earned his second Pro Bowl nod, and the Browns ranked first in pass defense. The Browns hired Lynch after he spent time coaching DBs at Northern Iowa and East Carolina during the 2010s.
Lynch and Ravens assistant Dennard Wilson are the only candidates for the Titans’ DC job so far. While it would certainly appear incumbent Shane Bowen is on his way out, veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky notes the team is retaining its current DC while it assesses outside options. Bowen, 37, worked as Tennessee’s DC for the past three seasons. He has interviewed with the Giants and Jaguars this far. The New York job remains open, but the Jacksonville position went to Ryan Nielsen.
It would surprise if the Titans retained Bowen, who was with the team throughout Mike Vrabel‘s tenure. Bowen began his Titans run as their outside linebackers coach under Dean Pees from 2018-20. The Titans ranked in the top half throughout Bowen’s tenure, checking in 16th in scoring defense this season. As Bowen waits, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds pass-game analyst Pat O’Hara will not be retained. O’Hara joined Bowen in being on all six Vrabel-led staffs. O’Hara, 55, also coached with Vrabel in Houston.
READ MORE:
Titans interview Browns CB coach Brandon Lynch for DC vacancy
A third defensive coordinator candidate emerges
The Tennessee Titans interviewed Cleveland Browns cornerback coach Brandon Lynch for their defensive coordinator position, according to a report from Jordan Schultz. Lynch becomes the third known candidate for the position, joining current holder Shane Bowen, and Baltimore Ravens defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson. New head coach Brian Callahan is getting closer to hiring his coordinators.
A former player, Lynch actually entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Titans in 2004. Lynch played college football locally at Middle Tennessee State. Lynch’s playing career didn’t last long, but he did cross paths with Titans general manager Ran Carthon for two seasons as a player. This is the second DC candidate (Wilson) Carthon has direct ties with. After playing three professional seasons in Canada, Lynch entered coaching in 2013.
Lynch received his big break when he became the Browns’ assistant defensive backs coach in 2020 under Kevin Stefanski. After spending three seasons in that role (2020-22), Lynch became the full-time cornerbacks coach in 2023. Working directly with Jim Schwartz this season, the Browns ranked first in pass yards allowed per game (164.7) and total air yards allowed (2,8000).
