Justin Rigg

Justin Rigg's Biography

The Tennessee Titans entered their 54th NFL season in 2023, marking their 27th year proudly representing the state of Tennessee and their overall 64th spectrum of existence in the sporting world. Strikingly, it was a memorable year as it also marked the sixth and final season under their head coach Mike Vrabel.

In the aftermath of an underachieving 7-10 record from the previous year, the Titans had pinned their ambitions on working diligently to improve their stance. They also sought to reconquer the terrain of the playoffs, which they had missed for the first time since 2018. However, despite their formidable aspirations, the Titans were dealt a heavy blow after a week 15 overtime loss to the Houston Texans, resulting in their elimination from playoff contention for the second consecutive year.

The following week spawned more frustrating developments, as they found themselves in the last position in the AFC South. The downfall was triggered by an unfortunate loss to the Seattle Seahawks 20–17 in Week 16, denying them the possibility to improve on their 7–10 record from 2022. Consequently, on January 9, the Titans made the difficult decision to part ways with Vrabel.

In tandem with Vrabel, the Titans also made the hard call to fire offensive coordinator Todd Downing, secondary coach Anthony Midget, and offensive skill assistant Erik Frazier, as well as offensive line coach Keith Carter on January 9, 2023. Despite the difficulties accompanying such a decision, it was fueled by the team’s lackluster performance under Downing and Carter’s leadership. Encouragingly, Titans fans largely supported the decision to usher in new leadership, considering the constraints tied with the old guard.

Stepping into the void left behind, the team promoted passing game coordinator Tim Kelly to the offensive coordinator role on February 7. To strengthen their coaching panel, they enlisted Charles London from the Atlanta Falcons in a quarterbacks coach role and welcomed Chris Harris from the Washington Commanders as the defensive pass game coordinator/cornerbacks coach. History was made when Lori Locust was hired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the first full-time female coach in Titans operations, alongside Justin Hamilton. Additionally, several in-house shifts were made, with Jason Houghtaling promoted to offensive line coach and other staffing changes being implemented to boost team dynamics.

The start of the year also saw another critical change within the team structure. On January 18, 2023, the Titans appointed 49ers executive Ran Carthon as their new general manager. This followed the dismissal of Jon Robinson, the prior general manager, in December 2022. Moving forward with a fresh perspective, Carthon stepped in during a challenging period, with the team on a seven-game losing streak.

As part of their early-year operations, the team streamlined their player reservoir, signing 11 players to futures contracts on January 10, 2023. By January 23, they had added three additional players. They continued in the off-season to expand their talent pool, signing 22 undrafted free agents to enrich their performance prospects for the subsequent seasons.

The Titans’ 2023 season was further enhanced by the announcement of their preseason opponents and schedule in the spring. This development was punctuated by home and away games, showcasing their competitiveness against their rivals within their division, and against non-divisional opponents at various stadiums.

Despite not realizing their ambitions for the playoffs, the Titans’ 2023 season served as a period of significant change and reflection for the franchise. From coaching changes and player addition to strategic rethinking, the storied franchise unveiled a new era and nurtured hope for better performance and exciting prospects in the subsequent seasons.