Houston Texans: Could Brandon Staley change the culture?

The Houston Texans are interviewing numerous candidates for head coach.

Many Houston Texans fans woke up to good news Thursday morning as the they requested to interview current Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley.

Staley, who is 38 years old, has spent several years in the league and has built up creative game plans and made strong connections during his short time in the NFL.

Brandon Staley joins Eric Bienemy, David Culley, and Leslie Frazier as the coaches that the Texans have requested to interview or plan to interview, as Houston has already interviewed Joe Brady, Jim Caldwell, and Marvin Lewis for the head coaching position.

After a very slow start to the head coaching search, Nick Caserio, the newly hired Texans general manager, and the rest of the Texans front office have started to interview strong candidates that can hopefully lead the team to success in years to come.

Out of all of these coaches that the Houston Texans are interested in, Staley is by far the most intriguing candidate. Staley started his coaching career at various community colleges and small Division III universities until he picked up an opportunity to be the defensive coordinator at John Carroll University, the same university that Nick Caserio played quarterback at 25 years ago.

Houston Texans: Staley has made various stops in NFL coaching career

After spending a year excelling there, Staley found himself being a position coach under defensive guru Vic Fangio with both the Chicago Bears (2017-2018) and the Denver Broncos in 2019.

After successful stints as an outside linebackers coach, Staley joined Sean McVay’s coaching staff as the Rams defensive coordinator. Staley was tasked with coaching All-Pro defensive end Aaron Donald and star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, among others, to success and he did just that.

Staley led the Rams defense to be one of the best in the league as they had the best scoring defense in the league limiting opponents to the least number of points (296) and overall yards (4,511). Furthermore, Staley’s defense allowed the least amount of passing yards (3,051) and the third least amount of rushing yards (1460).

These numbers are even more impressive as Staley turned in these numbers in one of the most competitive divisions in the league (the NFC West) while his defense also showed up on the biggest stages.

In their biggest matchup yet, the Rams faced off against the Seattle Seahawks this past weekend in their NFC Wildcard game.

Tasked with controlling an explosive and unpredictable offense headed by Russell Wilson, Brandon Staley was able to make a statement highlighting his defensive prowess and knowledge by only limiting the Seahawks to 20 points (Seattle scored a touchdown during garbage time) while allowing 142 passing yards and 278 total yards and forcing two turnovers.

Staley brings exceptional leadership qualities and a unique defensive mind that could only mean future success on the defensive end of the ball for the Texans. Houston has been a team that has been abysmal on defense and Staley could help bring in his unique schemes to maximize the Texans’ potential on defense.

Furthermore, Staley has been lauded by the Rams for his leadership qualities, charisma, and his ability to control a locker room. The Houston Texans, who are in dire need of improving their culture, can use Staley to lead this talented roster to success in the future.

Staley could be an amazing hire if he does ace his interview and impresses Caserio, the Texans front office, and star QB Deshaun Watson.