Jets hire ex-Titans OC Todd Downing as Passing Game Coordinator

The New York Jets are hiring ex-Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing as their new passing game coordinator, per Ian Rapoport. Downing joins new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Downing will also reunite with former Titans running backs coach Keith Carter in East Rutherford.

The Jets will run a similar zone-based offensive scheme under Hackett. Downing is obviously well-versed in the system after overseeing it in Tennessee. Carter, who is pulling double-duty as the Jets’ run game coordinator, knows the system well too.

Jets fans will likely be disappointed by this news. The Titans averaged a pathetic 171.4 passing yards per contest in 2022. They were the league’s 30th-ranked passing offense. Downing’s offense was hamstrung by personnel-related issues all over the offense, particularly at offensive line and wide receiver. But Downing’s concepts and play-calling tendencies left plenty to be desired nonetheless. Nothing about Downing’s body of work screams passing game coordinator.

The Titans relieved Downing of his duties at the conclusion of the 2022 campaign. He was replaced by an in-house option in Tim Kelly, who worked as the Titans’ passing game coordinator last season. It’s somewhat surprising to see Downing land another NFL job so quickly after being arrested for a DUI in mid-November.