MOBILE, Ala. — Roughly eight members of the Tennessee Titans brass sat dialed in as 22-year-old Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders smiled whereas answering questions throughout a gathering final week on the East-West Shrine Bowl in Frisco, Texas.
It was the primary of many conversations about Sanders probably turning into the long run face of the franchise.
Titans coach Brian Callahan and normal supervisor Mike Borgonzi have been available, along with president of soccer operations Chad Brinker. Borgonzi, who was employed as Tennessee’s sixteenth normal supervisor two weeks in the past, rolled up his sleeves and dove into the Titans’ quarterback search with Callahan for the primary time in an interview setting.
“[Callahan]’s very good and detailed,” Borgonzi advised ESPN. “He is been round, some fairly good ones — Peyton Manning, Joe Burrow and Matthew Stafford. I feel that helps being round gamers like that — realizing what to search for when it comes to simply footwork, dropping the eyes downfield, etcetera.”
The Borgonzi and Callahan pairing is intriguing due to how profitable every was at their earlier cease. Callahan and the Cincinnati Bengals hit the jackpot earlier than their second season collectively by making Burrow the primary decide in 2019. Borgonzi was the director of participant personnel for the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in 2017 when the franchise despatched their No. 27 total decide, a third-round decide, and their 2018 first-round choice to the Buffalo Payments to maneuver as much as No. 10 to pick Patrick Mahomes.
Callahan and Borgonzi hope to recreate the magic they discovered as a part of earlier searches in the event that they determine to take a quarterback with the No. 1 decide on April 24. The issue is there is not a clear-cut prime prospect. Each Sanders and former Miami quarterback Cam Ward have discovered themselves atop the completely different mock drafts.
Callahan has seen this film earlier than. His enter helped the Bengals land on Burrow regardless of having the ability to decide from the complete inventory of prospects. Again then, Burrow hadn’t pulled away from the group. Fellow quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert drew consideration, however Burrow’s means to provide within the clutch received Callahan and the employees over.
Heading into Senior Bowl week, Sanders was simply outdoors the highest 10 in ESPN’s consensus draft rankings, whereas Ward was tied at No. 10 with Texas sort out Kelvin Banks Jr. Ward ranks as the highest QB prospect for ESPN draft analysts Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Subject Yates. (Mel Kiper Jr. has him as QB2 behind Sanders.)
Callahan referred to what he discovered from longtime quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, whom he labored for as an offensive assistant with the Denver Broncos from 2013 to 2015.
“[Knapp] all the time mentioned these three issues: decision-making, timing, and accuracy,” Callahan advised ESPN. “These three issues are all the time going to be the primary belongings you search for. Should you search for these issues, you are going to see loads of what good quarterbacking seems to be like.”
Callahan additionally talked about arm energy at a baseline degree, however he pointed to how arm energy may be offset by anticipatory throws.
“Folks had questions on Burrow’s arm energy typically popping out,” Callahan mentioned. “One of many issues that makes Joe so distinctive, and I feel you may most likely put Shedeur in the identical dialog. … They anticipate after they throw it, they’ve the timing and accuracy on prime of it. That makes up for the arm energy.
“These issues are the way you make up for perhaps not having the most important arm. Should you’re throwing on time and placing a ball when and the place you are presupposed to go, you are not going to have too many issues.”
Borgonzi agrees with Callahan’s checklist of core traits. He additionally locations an enormous emphasis on management as a result of he believes selecting a quarterback is an important choice in sports activities. Through the analysis course of, Borgonzi asks himself some easy questions like:
Is he going to steer the franchise?
Is he a frontrunner on the sphere?
Can he course of the data?
Soccer intelligence, character and management are additionally main elements within the analysis.
The massive factor that hit for Borgonzi and the Chiefs after they honed in on Mahomes have been his particular skills. They knew there have been issues to work on with Mahomes, however having a long-tenured coach like Andy Reid helped offset worries about areas for enchancment.
“[Andy Reid] was nice once we used to look at tape with him,” Brogonzi mentioned. “Little technical issues like having an actual vast base throwing the soccer would come up whereas watching movie and he would say, ‘I can repair that.'”
Kansas Metropolis had a veteran quarterback in Alex Smith, who helped get Mahomes able to play realizing that was his eventual substitute.
Borgonzi did not rule out the Titans bringing in a veteran quarterback as a bridge in the event that they draft a younger quarterback and nurture him till he is able to take the sphere. If the Titans determine to not purchase a veteran, third-year quarterback, Will Levis is an possibility.
However Levis didn’t safe his future with the Titans when he completed with a 2-10 document final season as a starter. Callahan mentioned Levis plans to work in California with former NFL quarterback turned place coach Jordan Palmer throughout the offseason.
Levis is at present the one quarterback below contract with Tennessee. With two extra years on his deal, Levis has time to showcase himself in hopes of touchdown one other alternative to persuade a crew he generally is a franchise quarterback.
However that might additionally include encouragement to assist put together the younger quarterback who might be subsequent in line to take over below heart.
Callahan and Borgonzi know they’ve a tall activity on their arms to show issues round.
Added Borgonzi, “We will flip over each rock to verify we get the appropriate man there.”
