Mike McDaniel & Kliff Kingsbury Among Options For Titans OC Vacancy

The Titans filled their HC opening with 49ers DC Robert Saleh late Monday night, and now will shift their focus to filling the rest of the staff.

With QB Cam Ward entering year two, the offensive coordinator role is incredibly important considering Saleh is a defensive-minded coach. 

Per SI.com’s Albert Breer, former Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel is very close with Saleh, though McDaniel has been getting HC interviews and interest from just about every team with an OC opening. Breer also names Rams OC Mike LaFleur, former Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury, former Giants HC Brian Daboll and Steelers OC Arthur Smith as candidates he expects to be on the list.

McDaniel, 42, started his coaching career in 2005 as an intern with the Broncos. From 2006-2016, he had stints as an offensive assistant and WR coach for Houston, Washington, Cleveland, and Atlanta before joining the 49ers as run game coordinator in 2017.

He remained in that position through 2020 and served as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2021. The Dolphins then hired him in 2022 and signed him to a four-year contract. He was fired by Miami following the 2025 season.

During his four years in Miami, McDaniel led them to a record of 35-33 (.515 winning percentage), including two playoff appearances.

Kingsbury, 46, was hired as the Texas Tech head coach back in 2013 and spent six years in the position before he was fired. USC hired him as their offensive coordinator, but he resigned from the job after just a month, after receiving interest from the NFL. The Cardinals subsequently hired him. 

After four seasons in Arizona, Kingsbury was let go and returned to USC as the quarterback coach. In 2024, the Commanders hired him as their offensive coordinator. Washington parted ways with Kingsbury on Tuesday. 

During his six seasons at Texas Tech, Kingsbury led them to a record of 35-40 (46.7 percent), which included three bowl game appearances.

For his NFL head coaching career, Kingsbury led the Cardinals to an overall record of 26-33-1 in four seasons with one playoff appearance.