Titans add Jaguars DC Campanile to coach wish list. His defensive know-how and quick team-building in Jacksonville will likely draw more intense interest in the offseason.
Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile is attracting attention to fill the Tennessee Titans' head coaching job, according to The Athletic.
Senior NFL insider Diana Russini reported Saturday that Campanile, in his first season as DC in Jacksonville, is among several defensive coordinators the Titans plan to interview as the season wraps up.
The Titans fired coach Brian Callahan on Oct. 13, after the team started 1-5 this season. Tennessee is 1-8 under Callahan's replacement, Mike McCoy, a senior offensive assistant who took over as interim coach.
Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Mike Nagy is reportedly a top candidate for the job.
Campanile is on a Titans wish list that includes DCs from the Jags' AFC South rivals, the Houston Texans (Matt Burke) and Indianapolis Colts (Lou Anarumo), along with Jeff Hafley of the Green Bay Packers, Chris Shula from the Los Angeles Rams, and the L.A. Chargers’ Jesse Minter.
Campanile, 43, was hired away from the Packers in late January 2025, after Liam Coen took over as head coach in Jacksonville. Campanile had served as the linebackers coach and run-game coordinator in Green Bay for the 2024 season. Before that, he spent four years as linebackers coach with the Miami Dolphins.
In Jacksonville, Campanile has built a rangy, speedy defense that's ranked in the top 10 overall and leads the league in passing defense, giving up just 86.3 yards per game. Jacksonville also ranks second in the NFL this season in takeaways, with 26 through Week 15 -- 18 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries, trailing only the Bears. (Chicago totals 31 takeaways following its Week 15 comeback win over the Packers on Saturday night.)
Last year, the Titans went 3-14 in Callahan's first season at the helm, which gained the team quarterback Cam Ward as the No. 1 pick in last year's NFL draft. Ward has said he wants to be involved in the search for the Titans' new coach, ESPN reported earlier this week.
Ward, the ACC Player of the Year in 2024 after just one season with the Miami Hurricanes, said he wants to meet every head coach candidate, regardless of whether they're more experienced on offense or offense.
"Every coach who gets the opportunity to come here, I want to have conversations throughout the process with them," Ward said. "I'm going to be here for that whole time."