The Atlanta Falcons did not wait very long to find their next head coach, choosing to go for an offensive mind with past experience as they swapped out the underperforming Raheem Morris for former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. He is already hard at work trying to get others to make the trip to Atlanta with him.
The first order of business for Stefanski will be bringing in a top-notch offensive coordinator to get the most out of Michael Penix Jr., though it seems like some of his top choices are leaving some fans a bit less thrilled than they were previously.
Ian Rapoport originally mentioned Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who has long been thought of as a rising star in the coaching ranks, as someone who could follow Stefanski to Atlanta. However, one of his other top options might be enough to make fans weary about the hire.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated is reporting that Brian Callahan, who was recently fired after a disastrous stint as head coach of the Tennessee Titans in which he won four games and only was at the helm for 22 contests, as one of the possible candidates to follow Stefanski down south.
Brian Callahan may join Falcons as OC after Kevin Stefanski hire
Despite never calling plays as an offensive coordinator for Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, Callahan was hired and subsequently oversaw a franchise that was so utterly pathetic it won the fewest games in the 22-game span he lorded over.
Not only was he failing to coax anything out of top picks like Will Levis and No. 1 selection Cam Ward, but when Mike McCoy came in to replace him, the offense immediately started ticking in the right direction. If that is not an immeasurably bright red flag, nothing will be.
While Stefanski may end up calling his own plays in Atlanta, the fact that he eventually relinquished those duties to Rees shows that he wasn't exactly dicing up defenses like Ben Johnson or Liam Coen this season. Even if he brings his father, respected OL coach Bill Callahan, it won't be worth it.
The Callahan hire, should it happen, would be the type of decision that instantly gets this era started off in the wrong foot, and it could be a window into why the Browns even fired Stefanski in the first place.