INDIANAPOLIS ― The Indianapolis Colts are more than just the Tennessee Titans‘ resident noogie-givers atop the AFC South. They’re also quickly establishing themselves as the toast of the entire NFL.

The Colts (7-1) beat down the Titans 38-14 at Lucas Oil Stadium on Oct. 26, inching the Titans (1-7) closer to an early offseason and the Colts closer to a No. 1 seed in the AFC. Now in his third year, coach Shane Steichen won at least eight games in his first two seasons and is on pace to shatter that in Year 3.

As the Titans’ coaching search looms, Steichen, 40, is an interesting comparison point for what they could be building toward. Prior to arriving in Indy, he was the offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Chargers and then Philadelphia, helping the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance in 2022. He has been an offensive coordinator for offensive-minded head coaches. He has worked with dropback passers and dual-threat options. And he rose through the ranks after 10-plus years as an assistant in college and the pros before getting his first shot as a coordinator.

Considering some of the details of Steichen’s past that have translated well in Indianapolis, here are some comparable candidates the Titans could consider.

Who better to start with than Steichen’s deputy? Jim Bob Cooter, 41, a Tennessee native who played college football in Knoxville, has been the offensive coordinator for Steichen’s entire tenure. He was the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator from 2016 to 2018 and has coached in various roles with Kansas City, Denver, the New York Jets, Philadelphia and Jacksonville since 2012.

It’s tough to separate Cooter’s success in Indianapolis from Steichen’s, but consider his five years in Detroit as quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator, when the Lions finished with three winning records in five years. By comparison, they managed just one winning record in seven other seasons with quarterback Matthew Stafford under center.

In four of Cooter’s five seasons, the Lions finished in the top half of the NFL in passing offense. He also was quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s passing game coordinator in 2022 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. That was Lawrence’s best year statistically and the lone year he has earned a Pro Bowl bid or led the Jaguars to the playoffs.

Greg Roman, OC, Los Angeles Chargers

Greg Roman, 53, has been around a good bit longer than Steichen; Roman’s first year in the NFL was 2002, when Steichen was a senior in high school. But Roman has coordinated seven offenses that have made it to the postseason, coaching quarterbacks as different as Alex Smith and Justin Herbert to Lamar Jackson and Colin Kaepernick.

Roman’s ability to adapt across schemes is impressive, as is his track record coaching under proven winners like Jim and John Harbaugh. He’s hardly a perfect candidate; there’s a reason why he has never been a head coach despite his track record on winning teams. But his ability to translate a proven winning model the way Steichen did from Philadelphia to Indianapolis is enticing.

The closest one-to-one comparison to Steichen might be Josh Grizzard, the first-year offensive coordinator in Tampa. Steichen coached with the Chargers for seven years, rising up from a quality control role to an on-field position before moving on to Philadelphia. Grizzard coached in Miami for seven years, rising up from a quality control role to an on-field position before moving on to Tampa. Steichen survived three regimes with the Chargers; Grizzard survived three regimes with the Dolphins. Both cut their teeth as college analysts early in their careers, with Grizzard spending four years as a grad assistant at Duke under famed offensive mind David Cutcliffe.

And just look at what Grizzard, 35, has done with the Buccaneers. They own one of the NFL’s most productive and explosive offenses despite serious injuries to top running backs, receivers and offensive linemen, putting up win after win and leading the NFC South.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at  nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.