Houston Texans: Wires hard to untangle in search for GM

The Houston Texans have a lot of work ahead of them this offseason.

When the 2016-17 NFL season ended, there was only one hole in the Houston Texans team. They had one of the scariest defenses in the league — if not the scariest — led by AJ Bouye, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus, and that group of Houston Texans excelled despite the absence of J.J. Watt.

Lamar Miller had a solid season for the running game, and the weapons were there with guys like De’Andre Hopkins, Will Fuller and C.J. Fiedorowicz. The only issue was the quarterback with Brock Osweiler proving he wasn’t worth the $72 million he was given. As a result, Deshaun Watson was drafted, and it seemed as if this team was finally ready to become a real threat in the AFC for something special.

Fast-forward to four years later, and everything has gone to hell in a handbasket.

It is crazy to think that only four years ago the Texans had everything except a solidified quarterback at helm. Now it almost seems as if the quarterback position is the only thing that is solidified. While trades that we are aware of certainly hurt the team — which I refuse to dig into for my own mental health — the ultimate downfall for this team was the failure to establish consistency in the front office.

What I can figure out from this is the fact that the current members of the Houston Texans front office failed to maintain a contending team, and I do not see a reason to move with the same front office going forward. The damage has been done, and with the same front office, there’s a possibility of further damage.

The fact is that there are numerous concerns and questions that need to be addressed this offseason, and while that seems to be the norm every offseason for this team, I seriously mean it this time around more than ever.

There needs to be damage control immediately to try to contain the mess that former head coach Bill O’Brien and current interim general manager Jack Easterby have caused. The worst part is the Houston Texans don’t have the necessary assets to make it any easier. O’Brien filled the Houston Texans’ cap space by trading draft picks away for players with heavy salary, and the Texans currently have a 4-10 record.

The basic situation, simplified, is that the Houston Texans have the highest payroll in the league (minimal cap space), no draft picks in the first two rounds, and to be straight to the point, the team has fallen off the wagon despite Watson’s best season as an NFL quarterback.

So why is this offseason more important than ever? Why do the Texans need to complete damage control as quickly as possible? Why is this offseason that much more important than others?

Here’s your answer: The following comments were from Deshaun Watson in the postgame press conference after the heartbreaking loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 6.

If you need more clarity, it’s the game with that horrible snap when the Texans were within several yards of the end zone to take the lead with approximately a little greater than a minute left in the game.

I rest my case.

Houston Texans: Deshaun Watson needs team to bring back confidence in 2021

The Houston Texans need to reinstate Deshaun Watson’s confidence in this franchise despite having the highest payroll, no GM or head coach, no draft picks in the first or second round, and the team’s fate as of right now rests in Easterby’s hands.

All of those needs also need to be filled as quickly as possible. Even though Watson still has plenty of room to grow considering he is still young, and that his prime years are inching closer, those years can’t be thrown away with a bunch of practice squad wide receivers and a defense that seems to let Watson down nearly every game.

The Texans also still need to overcome what looks to be a dynasty down at Kansas City if the Texans ever want to reach the Super Bowl or have great success in the playoffs.

After all of that has been said, what are the Houston Texans left with? A bunch of tangled wires.

I will never forgive this franchise if they fail to take advantage of Deshaun Watson’s skill set and get him the ring he deserves.

I have lost all trust in this dysfunctional front office completely, and I am terrified of the catastrophic consequences that can result from arguably the most important offseason in Houston Texans history. This isn’t Rafael Stone and Stephen Silas. This is the Easterby and Korn Ferry (the search firm McNair hired) show.

Next, let’s discuss the GM position; however, in the near future we’ll discuss the head coaching position and roster changes that need to be addressed for the Houston Texans.

The GM Position

General managers are tough to evaluate. If it’s a candidate who has never had a GM role, it’s hard to expect anything from them because nobody outside the organization knows how much they contributed to a team’s success or failures.

When it’s a candidate who has previous GM experience, each candidate had a different situation with their previous teams and they all had a variety of responses. A GM’s job depends entirely on the coach and players, and sometimes, the fit just isn’t there. That makes it very hard to find the right guy for a GM position. That being said, it’s also arguably the most important position for the Houston Texans right now.

It could also be said it’s the most deciding factor in how Watson’s career in Houston will be remembered. Sure, the offensive line and wide receivers are important, but it’s the GM who’ll supply Deshuan Watson with those offensive linemen and receivers.

If this front office isn’t competent enough with the right coaching, then it wouldn’t surprise me if Deshaun Watson starts looking at other teams. You would think that Watson would never leave considering the fact that he just signed a big contract, but learning from the James Harden situation with the Houston Rockets, and the DeAndre Hopkins situation, we Houston fans just can’t take our favorite star players for granted as Harden — like Hopkins — can be traded at any time.

So far, as for the GM position, the Houston Texans have interest in John Dorsey, according to Jason La Canfora,  Louis Riddick, and Matt Bazirgan.

Let’s learn more about John Dorsey.

Candidate No. 1: John Dorsey

John Dorsey has previous GM experience with the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs, and one reason I wouldn’t hate this hire is because he set the platform and the foundation roster which the Browns and Chiefs are now growing on heading into the playoffs.

The Browns are now contenders, and we know how well the Chiefs are taking care of their business. Simply put, he nearly built the Browns and the Chiefs. Dorsey drafted Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb for the Browns and brought many important players to the Chiefs such as Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and not to mention, had the confidence to trade up and draft Patrick Mahomes.

One major X-factor about Dorsey: his previous work experience with the Chiefs also means he has ties to current offensive coordinator for the Chiefs, Eric Bieniemy. Deshaun Watson has made it clear that he wants Eric Bieniemy as the next Houston Texans head coach, and Dorsey’s ties with Bieniemy could definitely give himself leverage into taking the GM role.

Another thing worth noting is that since Dorsey is a former linebacker for Green Bay, he has a strong understanding of defensive talent. That is especially important right now because Houston’s two starting corners are currently Vernon Hargreaves III and Phillip Gaines.

Is Dorsey the best guy available to the Texans? Absolutely not.

Despite the Browns’ large amount of draft capital they had under the Dorsey era, oftentimes the draft picks wouldn’t work out, while at the same time, Dorsey had a reputation of giving up quality players for draft picks.

Loss of quality player -> draft picks -> low rate on a successful draft pick is not a good chain of events to be on. It kind of feels like Bill O’Brien in reverse with a twist, if you want to think about it that way.

Though the Chiefs and Browns grew under Dorsey, many would argue that the Browns could be in a much better position without him. However, it is hard for the Chiefs to be in a much better situation than they are currently in. If you wish to read up on more cons about hiring John Dorsey, here is a link which is extremely useful in learning about his Browns tenure.

Interviewed Candidate No. 1: Louis Riddick

Moving on, the other interviewed candidate for the vacant Houston Texans GM position is Louis Riddick. It is important to know that, unlike John Dorsey, Riddick has already recently been interviewed by the Houston Texans.

Louis Riddick is a former safety for the NFL and is currently an analyst for ESPN Monday Night Football. Similar to Dorsey, his background in defensive football experience likely means he has an eye for defensive talent.

Riddick has years of scouting experience on his résumé and was the Director of Pro Personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2010-2013. So far, he has been an excellent analyst on Monday Night Football, therefore resulting in interest from around the league for vacant GM positions.

There have been rumors that he can have great relationships with anybody in the organization, from players to owners, and establishing that connection would be great long-term. At least it would be much better than the current interim GM, who has been McNair’s right-hand man.

The following video of Riddick discussing the Houston Texans situation with Jadeveon Clowney during contract negotiations is very interesting, considering how much we knew about the situation at the time.

The good thing about Riddick is that you can easily learn more about him simply by listening to the way he talks on Monday Night Football and gaining a better understanding of his thinking process about current NFL situations.

Riddick, despite the smaller experience in the front office relative to the other candidates, is definitely an upgrade over Bill O’Brien already.

Other than Deshaun Watson, this team has minimal attraction when it comes to this GM position. This would be a rocky road for a candidate who has a lack of experience.

Interviewed Candidate No. 2: Matt Bazirgan

Matt Bazirgan is an in-house candidate for the GM position, as he is currently the Director of Player Personnel for the Houston Texans. Interviewing him isn’t a surprise to many, as the Houston Texans are, hopefully, exploring all options available.

This is more of a statement that says, “We are intently looking at our options despite the fact that majority of serious candidates are currently working with playoff teams and will be hard to access, and we will get a start on accessible candidates in the meantime.” Don’t be surprised if the Texans decided to do something similar for the head coaching position as well.

Bazirgan joined the Texans when they hired former Texans GM Brian Gaine, and despite the fact that Gaine was fired, Bazirgan proved worthy to the Texans as he remained a part of the organization.

Prior to joining the Texans, Bazirgan had gone through a variety of scouting and coaching positions with the New York Jets and spent 14 years working his way up in the Jets organization. He has a lot of experience that can be proved valuable to the GM position.

The main concern about Bazirgan is how much he was involved with all of the roster moves that have been made over the past several years. From overpaying for many players to approving some of the worst trades in NFL history, it’s a concern to me that there’s a possibility that Bazirgan could have had a bigger involvement in previous moves than originally thought.

In all honesty, anybody from the O’Brien years needs to be gone, and there needs to be a fresh start in the management. Anybody who approved of that Hopkins trade or failed to speak up doesn’t need to be there.

I love the experience Bazirgan brings, but some things are just unforgivable.

My GM Favorite: Ed Dodds

First thing, I wanted to give a shoutout to @Texans_Thoughts on Twitter because there is no way I would’ve learned about this diamond if it wasn’t for him. I’m getting all jittery inside simply by typing about Ed Dodds.

Here is link to his YouTube video that outlines everything about Dodds better than I ever could, but if you are unable to listen to it currently, here are some main bullet points to know about Dodds…

• Ed Dodds is currently the assistant GM of the Indianapolis Colts and is highly responsible for the improvement in the Colts’ defense over the last several seasons.
• Dodds is brilliant when it comes to scouting and finding talent with limited draft capital. A lot of star players currently on the Colts, such as Quenton Nelson and Darius Leonard, came in during the Dodds era. What is shocking is that despite the fact that the Colts have had only two first-round picks in the last four years, they managed to build a very competitive roster and worked very well with what they had at their disposal.
• Dodds also worked in Seattle as a scout before heading to Indianapolis. He was credited for pushing the Seahawks to draft Russell Wilson and was a key piece in establishing the Legion of Boom for the Seahawks. Dodds has a history of finding high talent outside the first two rounds, which helped build the Legion of Boom defense in Seattle.

In my eyes, Dodds is the clear-cut choice. He aligns as the perfect counter to the current issues the Houston Texans are facing, and he has the ability to untangle this mess of wires, as proven by his history of finding talent regardless of the situation at hand.

Dodds definitely has the potential to acquire the right talent for this defense despite the Houston Texans’ limited ability in spending and drafting this offseason. It is key to note that this doesn’t happen overnight, as finding talent and developing while trying to get out of a stick cap situation is a very hard thing to do simultaneously.

Also, the middle-round picks may be long-term projects, so development may take a little longer, and it’s obvious that patience is a must no matter who is hired at GM because O’Brien created such a tangled-up situation. However, with a guy like Deshaun Watson on your side, it may not take as long to end right back up in contention as we think.

The Houston Texans couldn’t go wrong with a combination of Ed Dodds and Eric Bieniemy or Ed Dodds and Robert Saleh. However, with Dodds being GM, there is a definite increased chance of Matt Eberflus, the current defensive coordinator of the Colts, taking the head coaching job for the Texans as they have ties together.

Regardless, a Dodds hire would be a great start to establishing a solid team around Watson and to try to get out of this mess. Once this season ends, interest in him around the league will spike faster than a kid on a sugar rush. If the Texans find their chance at him, then they should jump at that chance right away.

Houston Texans: Final Thoughts

Finding the right GM is an excellent start to getting out of the situation that the Houston Texans are currently facing. In order to reach the next level to become real contenders, the head coach and GM need to be on the same page, and the roster moves need to benefit Watson in whichever way possible.

There needs to be full trust established in the front office, there needs to be a system of checks and balances — which was severely undervalued in the O’Brien era — and the players need to be confident that the front office is doing whatever it takes to create the best roster possible.

Trading DeAndre Hopkins and reiterating that Jack Easterby will have a valuable role in the franchise moving forward is not a great start. The decisions on who goes where is entirely within the hands of Korn Ferry, Jack Easterby and Cal McNair.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this article to look at the head coaching vacancy of the Houston Texans.