NASHVILLE, Tenn. – When an organization turns over as often as the Titans have, there’s going to be a trail of fingerprints.
Ran Carthon has been gone 15 months, and with Chad Brinker exiting last week, very little remains of the former GM’s imprint.
Two scouts hired by Carthon are still in place.
Sam Summerville and Keenan Agnew were brought in during the spring of 2024. Summerville arrived as a national college scout and has since moved up to senior national scout. Agnew came in as a scouting assistant and is now the team’s lone pro scout.
That’s about it.
Brinker leaves behind more and more that matters, starting with Mike Borgonzi. Brinker hired Borgonzi, and Borgonzi now holds the most power in the organization outside of ownership.
That’s the piece that carries real weight.
Also still in the player personnel department, vice president/football advisor Reggie McKenzie worked with Brinker in Green Bay and remains in place.
Beyond personnel, Brinker’s influence shows up in areas that don’t turn over as quickly. While he had a hand in several firings of long-time employees that didn't make sense, he also helped grow the team in several areas that made the franchise more modern.
He helped establish the football research and development department, where Sarah Bailey is director and Erin Psajdl Davis is coordinator.
He also had a hand in the hiring of Freddie Walker as director of applied sports science.
That’s an area where Brinker showed particular concern and interest. He looked to steer Brian Callahan toward Zac Woodfin as director of sports performance, a connection from Green Bay who runs a department that appears more cutting-edge. Walker is a natural fit alongside that.
Brinker’s influence will outlast Carthon’s. We saw Anthony Robinson, Carthon’s chief personnel lieutenant, fired with him, and AJ Highsmith was let go after Borgonzi’s first draft.
That’s typical for a personnel chief. But Brinker never held that role outright, as Amy Adams Strunk worked through structural changes, and his impact came in hiring Borgonzi and boosting analytics and sports science -- departments that can have a bearing on the franchise for years to come.
We’ll see what Borgonzi makes of it and what value it has.
