The Titans fired head coach Ken Whisenhunt last week, which means that they’ll be looking for a new coach come the end of the season unless Mike Mularkey does well enough in the second half that the Titans decide to remove the interim part of his title.
If they do make that change, it could mean that Dick LeBeau’s stay in Tennessee ends after one year. LeBeau left the Steelers after a long run as their defensive coordinator and signed on as Whisenhunt’s assistant head coach for defense before this season.
LeBeau, who signed a one-year deal, said Thursday that his only focus right now is on winning games in the short term, adding that his feelings about returning to the team don’t mean much if he isn’t asked back.
We’re thinking strictly about getting some more wins,” LeBeau said, via ESPN.com. “I like Tennessee a lot. Hell, I like Nashville. First of all, someone would have to want me, you don’t even know if that’s the case. But we’re just going to focus on doing the best job we can do with our team this year and get as many wins as we can.”
The Titans defense is sixth overall in yards allowed this season after finishing 27th in that statistic last year, an improvement that speaks well of LeBeau’s influence even if it can’t be wholly attributed to his arrival. Should a new Titans coach want to move in a different direction, there would likely be options for LeBeau to bring his deep NFL experience elsewhere.