3 more candidates for Jacksonville Jaguars DC opening after dismissing Mike Caldwell

1. Mike Vrabel, ex Titans head coach

There's usually a surprise or two on Black Monday. Coaches and assistants who otherwise seem to be safe end up getting their walking papers. Mike Vrabel fits the bill. Even though he wanted to remain with the Tennessee Titans, he was let go Tuesday. It wasn't particularly shocking news since there had previously been rumors about the Titans potentially trading him or outright firing him.

Then again, Vrabel hadn't requested a trade of his dismissal, so it was still a bit of a tough pill to swallow. Following his dismissal, Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk said that Vrabel and general manager Ran Carthon didn't meet eye to eye on the team's rebuilding plan, so they thought that letting him go was in the team's best interest. Whether Vrabel's firing was justified, one thing is certain, he wasn't fired because he was a bad coach.

Vrabel routinely got the most out of whatever card he was dealt. The past two seasons, he had an aging roster with lots of glaring holes. Not surprisingly, the Titans won a combined 13 games. Still, Vrabel can say he went out with a bang, beating the Jacksonville Jaguars and knocking them out of playoff contention in the 2023 finale.

While the prospect of bringing Vrabel in might rub some feathers, there's no doubt he would be able to get Jacksonville's defense on track. He'll most likely garner interest for head coaching positions, so he may not be interested in a defensive coordinator opening. That said, he can afford to be picky and wait one year if there isn't an opening to his liking.

For the time being, he could coach the Jaguars' defense, keep raising his stock, and look for more favorable landing spots in the next hiring cycle. Also, he could be incentivized to show his former team that they made a mistake when they fired him, and he would have a chance to do it twice in a season if he were to land in Jacksonville.

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