It’s no secret that the success of the 2026-27 Tennessee Titans is going to rely heavily on the team’s offensive line play. From the run game to Cam Ward’s development as an NFL quarterback, the O-Line is arguably the single most important job on the entire team. In an attempt to improve the O-Line, the Titans brought in Carmen Bricillo, a 7-year NFL coaching veteran, to help whip this offensive line unit into shape. After looking through Bricillo’s previous stops in the NFL, I was able to notice a clear pattern that comes with an important caveat for the Tennessee Titans. Throughout this article, I will explore how highly-rated Bricillo’s previous offensive lines have been and how that relates to the Titans.
Stop 1: New England Patriots (2020 co-OL coach, 2021 sole OL coach) – As a co-OL coach, Bricillo helped orchestrate an offensive line that ranked 4th in the NFL per PFF’s year-end rankings. Since this was Bricillo’s first year with real responsibility as an OL coach, I decided to start my analysis of his career here. A highlight of this particular offensive line’s success was shown through sixth rounder Micheal Onwenu, who graded out at 84.3 PFF overall which was top-10 at the time among all rookie linemen. In 2021, Bricillo’s first time being the sole offensive line coach, the unit slightly worsened as they placed 9th in the PFF year-end rankings. While this is technically a worse finish than the previous year, a 9th-ranked NFL offensive unit is definitely something to be proud of. Just imagine what this year’s Titans team could accomplish if they had a 9th-ranked OL in the league!
Stop 2: Las Vegas Raiders (2022 and 2023 OL Coach) – In 2021, the Raiders’ OL finished a horrendous 28th according to PFF. In 2022, Bricillo’s first year as the Raiders OL coach, the unit greatly improved and only allowed 35 sacks the entire season. This ranked as the 9th fewest sacks allowed in the NFL that year. The Raiders as a team also rushed for 2,059 yards the whole season. That is the most rushing yards the Raiders have had in a single season since 2011! To put a bow on things for the 2022 season, the Raiders OL ranked 10th overall by PFF’s final rankings. Moving to Bricillo’s 2023 stint with the Raiders, he had more or less the same kind of success. The unit finished 10th overall again while also having the 6th-best pass-blocking grade in the league.
Stop 3: New York Giants (2024 and 2025 OL Coach) – The 2024 season is where Bricillo really began to see some adversity when it came to his offensive line play. The 2024 New York Football Giants OL allowed 215 pressures and 48 sacks throughout the entirety of the season. After having his worst season as an OL coach yet, Bricillo bounced back dramatically with the Giants’ 2025 OL. Bricillo’s 2025 unit jumped to the 9th overall PFF-ranked offensive line unit while allowing only 140 pressures and 15 sacks! Keep in mind, Bricillo was able to keep all five OL starters from 2024 to 2025. This two-season jump is the clearest evidence I see that Carmen Bricillo can produce a “year 2 leap” in his offensive line play.
So What’s The Takeaway?
As you’ve probably been able to tell, Bricillo units have generally landed at better than league average every single year, according to PFF metrics. Even when the OL unit is below par, as in New York’s 2024 OL, Bricillo has proven that he’s able to improve his unit’s success as long as the OL unit holds together. I’m not saying it guarantees that Bricillo will always turn around a bad OL unit. All I’m saying is that he’s done it before in New York.
Where the Titans OL Stands Now
As most of us probably know, the Titans had the 32nd-ranked offensive line two years ago and the 18th-ranked offensive line last year. While technically 32 to 18 is an improvement, 18 is still below league average. In terms of the 2026 season, outlets such as PFF are already predicting the Titans’ OL to struggle this year even with three returning starters from last year.
Applying Bricillo’s Track Record to Project 2026
Understanding every team, year, and situation is different, if Bricillo’s previous success at the Raiders shows us anything, the Titans OL unit can make a real step forward in 2026. In my honest opinion, this year for the Titans is probably going to resemble what Bricillo’s first year at the Giants looked like. If the Titans OL has a rough year this year, hopefully they’ll be able to maintain as much roster consistency as possible to enter 2027 on the right foot. I realize that all these projections rely on analytics and most of the line staying healthy, but it is still a good exercise to see what the Titans OL could be in the next two years.
Other Angles That Are Worth Weaving In
One aspect about this coaching staff I haven’t mentioned is that Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll and Bricillo are coaching together again. This consistency in the offensive scheme could pay dividends in how the Titans offensive line unit plays this year. Another aspect of most offensive lines that can make or break a season is injuries. Bricillo’s two best years, Raiders ‘23 and Giants ‘25, came with pretty good health for the OL as a whole. As long as the Titans OL remains generally healthy throughout the whole season, I personally don’t think it’s an insane prediction to say they’ll finish right at or above league average.
To Wrap it Up..
All in all, Bricillo’s history shows that he’s able to produce quick results (Raiders) or a slower-building turnaround (Giants). Both are plausible for this year’s Titans, and the overall health and continuity of the OL unit could be the biggest swing factor. With Cam Ward, the most important piece of the Tennessee Titans, entering year two, he’s going to at least need to see signs of improvement if this offensive line doesn’t come out of the gate as a league-average unit.
