The Tennessee Titans will open their preseason on Saturday afternoon against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, but it won’t be head coach Mike Vrabel calling the shots.
Instead, Vrabel, who still plans to be on the sideline, is handing the reins over to defensive line coach and assistant head coach, Terrell Williams, who will serve as acting head coach for the game, Vrabel revealed on Monday after practice.
This is the latest example of Vrabel giving Williams a well-deserved push in the hopes of it helping him land a bigger gig down the road. The 49-year-old has held the defensive line coach title in Nashville since 2018, but was promoted to assistant head coach this offseason.
Williams has done a fantastic job in Tennessee overall and has aided in the development of players like Teair Tart and Jeffery Simmons. But he’s also been an outlet for players on both sides of the ball, as Vrabel detailed in February.
Mike Vrabel on #Titans DL coach/Assistant HC Terrell Williams acting as the head coach on Friday and through the preseason game on Saturday vs @ChicagoBears. pic.twitter.com/WT8OCobggB
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 7, 2023
“You know how I feel about Terrell and what he’s meant to our program since I’ve been here,” Vrabel said of Williams during the NFL Combine. “The consistency, on and off the football field, the relationship and connection that he’s built with every defensive lineman.
“I was able to — and rightfully so — name him assistant head coach for defense, because that’s what he is. I watch the players, whether it’s an offensive player, defensive player outside of his position, they have a tendency to find “Big T” or he has a tendency to find them.
“He’s a valuable member to our staff and we’re lucky to have him.”
Prior to his stint in Nashville, Williams was a defensive line coach in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders (2012-14) and Miami Dolphins (2015-17).
Before that, Williams worked his way up from Fort Scott Community College to Division I programs such as Purdue and Texas A&M.
