Tennessee Titans WR Kyle Philips could have second life under new head coach Brian Callahan

With new head coach Brian Callahan in Nashville, things are going to look a lot different for the Tennessee Titans in 2024 than they did under Mike Vrabel in years prior.

Callahan is an offensive mind. He has experience working with quarterbacks in a pass-first offense. The coaching staff around him is different. The personnel is different. Even the way the Titans evaluate players, both internally and externally, is going to be very different. 

For much of this offseason, the question has been about what the Titans will be looking to add because of Callahan. It has all been about what free agents and draft prospects fit into this different version of Titans football we will soon see. 

But I think's it's also worth asking what players on the current Titans' roster fit into Callahan's plans that may not have been as successful on a Mike Vrabel led team.

One returning player in particular came to mind as being somewhat disregarded by the previous regime, but he could have new life under Tennessee's new head coach and offensive philosophy.

Kyle Philips

When Kyle Philips had six catches, 66 receiving yards, and a 46-yard punt return in his first regular season NFL appearance back in 2022, it looked like the Titans had found a bona fide slot option with special teams upside in the 5th round. 

But ever since his dazzling debut against the New York Giants, Philips has struggled to put all the pieces together. A combination of injuries, muffed returns, and lack of scheme fit has kept Philips sidelined for 21 games over the first two seasons of his career. 

Things probably hit an all-time low towards the end of the 2023 season when Philips was a healthy scratch on game days with regularity. He lost punt return duties to Eric Garror and Mason Kinsey and played just 7 offensive snaps after December 1st of last year.

On one hand, it's easy to see how Philips could be the odd man out in a 2024 wide receiver room with DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley, Treylon Burks, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and potentially others from the 2024 NFL Draft class. But after hearing Brian Callahan give early analysis of Philips and talk about the Titans' need for a slot receiver, I'm not ready to write Philips off just yet.

"I'm excited to see what Kyle [Philips] can do," Callahan told Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com at the NFL Owners meetings. "Obviously the injury bug has hit him a little bit,. I liked him coming out of college and thought he had chance to be a good slot style player. So I'm excited to see what he brings."

Even when Philips was active for games last season, he was only going in for a small percentage of packages on offense. It didn't really matter if Philips could get open. The Titans' offense just didn't have much use for a slot receiver that didn't contribute much in the run game or on special teams. As a result, Philips often found himself inactive on game days.

But it's already clear that Brian Callahan's offense is going to value the slot receiver much more than the Titans have. Just look at what Tyler Boyd has been able to do with the Cincinnati Bengals as the inside receiver in a spread offense. 

The Titans are still looking for someone to be that guy, and we already know that Philips is on Callahan's radar.

"I think you're always open to adding to those spots. I mean, we have to have someone emerge for us at the slot position receiver," Callahan told me when I asked him what he still feels is lacking within the receiving corps. "That's one that, we got some young players I'm excited to take a look at, with obviously Kyle Philips."