The Houston Texans with new general manager Nick Caserio and the rest of those in charge of making final decisions are still in the process of looking to hire a new head coach. The Texans front office is also reportedly working on mending their relationship with franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson, so a lot is going on thus far this offseason.
So fa,r teams that have hired new head coaches for the 2021 season are the Jacksonville Jaguars (Urban Meyer), New York Jets (Robert Saleh) and Atlanta Falcons (Arthur Smith).
The latter two would have been interesting choices or interviews with the Houston Texans. Saleh is a defensive-minded coach, as he was the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, while Smith is an offensive-minded coach with his previous job being the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans.
It is still unknown which direction the Houston Texans will select when they hire their new head coach, but again, they have other issues at hand that will go into how and who they choose as their next head coach with the current situation involving Deshaun Watson.
Also, there are unknowns as to what decision the Texans will make involving J.J. Watt, as the three-time Defensive Player of the Year is in the final year of his current contract and will be entering his 11th season.
Houston Texans: Has Deshaun Watson been ignored in HC search?
As we all know, the Houston Texans at the end of the season didn’t have their actual general manager, but they did conduct a couple interviews with former head coaches that weren’t with a team.
In a recent article at Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio had the following about Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans as the franchise searches for a new head coach:
"“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Watson recommended not only Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for a head-coaching interview but also former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.”"
The Texans also dropped the ball by not requesting an interview with Robert Saleh as he’s now with the Jets, and since the Texans also waited until after the Chiefs bye week to request to interview Bieniemy, now they have to wait until the Kansas City season is over, which could mean until the Super Bowl is over.
The Houston Texans have been foolish in the way they’ve handled their offseason, and though it seems Nick Caserio is trying to repair all the missteps seemingly made by the Texans this offseason, the hope is whomever the Texans pick as their next head coach is the right choice and one that can help repair the relationship between the franchise, the fan base and Deshaun Watson.
Houston Texans Potential Head Coach Selection: Eric Bieniemy
This is an easy one because it is who is being reported as who current quarterback Deshaun Watson wants as the possible new head coach. Some have said on social media that the success of Eric Bieniemy is because of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
This is something that isn’t true, but make no mistake, having Reid as the head coach to learn from isn’t hurting the career path of Bieniemy, either. Bieniemy is one of the reasons that the Chiefs have been so successful.
The #Texans have officially requested an interview with #Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, source said. Already a busy candidate, Bieniemy adds another to his list.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 12, 2021
Reid and talented offensive players, plus Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, are other important reasons too, but make no mistake about it, Bieniemy is talented himself. Without him, the Chiefs wouldn’t be where they are today as the defending Super Bowl champions and back in the divisional round of the playoffs via a first-round bye.
Bieniemy deserves more credit than some have given him, and the Texans should have already shown interest in the head coach, because now if Watson is disgruntled as some are saying, maybe a possible hire of Bieniemy as the head coach would help smooth things over.
It would also be exciting to see Watson and Bieniemy work together on the offense and even keep current Houston Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly on the staff. Whatever it takes to make the best player on the team happy and comfortable in the offense, that is what the Houston Texans need to accomplish the rest of this offseason.
Also, Bieniemy is a very talented offensive coordinator and should be a head coach in the NFL, so why not with the Texans? Eventually Bieniemy will be a head coach in the NFL, and it could be a huge mistake if the Texans let him go to another team.
Houston Texans Potential Head Coach Selection: Matt Eberflus
Matt Eberflus is also another possible high-ranking candidate for the Houston Texans in their search for their next head coach. Things began a little rocky as earlier this month it was reported that Eberflus didn’t want to be interviewed for the Houston Texans head coach position.
Since that time, three new head coaches have been hired by the Jaguars, Jets and Falcons, so the pool of teams has shrank some, and now the Houston Texans have interviewed Eberflus with Nick Caserio as the general manager.
My, how things have changed, but that is all in the past, and the Houston Texans need to keep looking forward as they attempt to fix their franchise that finished 4-12 this past season.
If anyone can fix the defense of the Houston Texans, Matt Eberflus should get that opportunity. As defensive coordinator with the Indianapolis Colts for the past three seasons, the Colts have played very well with that unit and have made the playoffs, in part due to the improvements made by Eberflus as the DC.
The #Texans interviewed #Colts DC Matt Eberflus for their head coaching job today, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 17, 2021
Eberflus initially declined an interview, but Houston made another push in recent days. A respected candidate who also remains in the #Chargers mix.
Eberflus is 50 years old and has over 25 years experience of being a coach, but just as important is the fact not only is Deshaun Watson a fan of the Colts defensive coordinator, but the Texans are in desperate need of repair for their defense because this past season was one of the very worst units in the league.
The Texans were ranked 24th overall in passing yards allowed this past season (4,104) and were 29th in passing yards allowed per attempt (8.0). Houston was last in the league in completion percentage allowed against them (69.7 percent), and they gave up 30 touchdown passes as well, ranking them 23rd in the NFL.
Houston was also last in interceptions this past season with just three. As poor as the passing numbers allowed were, the rushing stats allowed were even worse. The Houston Texans were last in total rushing yards allowed (2,564) and last in yards per carry allowed (5.2).
A stat that really hurts to see is Houston was last on defense in 40-plus rushing yard plays allowed with seven, and that in comparison with Eberflus and his Colts defense, which allowed zero 40-plus yard rushing plays all regular season.
The Houston Texans can’t overlook Eberflus, and yes, the Texans do need improvement on offense as well, but the defensive effort of last season can’t happen again, or it won’t matter who the head coach is. Houston does need to focus on the defense moving forward, and Eberflus could be the coach to fix those glaring issues.
Houston Texans Potential Head Coach Selection: David Culley
Another candidate for the Houston Texans this offseason in their search for a new head coach is David Culley of the Baltimore Ravens. Culley is the assistant head coach of the Ravens, but now with the Ravens being eliminated from the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Saturday night by the Buffalo Bills, it is the right time to talk to the assistant head coach of Baltimore.
Culley has worked with past NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson, and those two as a duo have done some great things working together as members of the Ravens organization. The Texans could use some of that expertise as well, because even though Deshaun Watson led the NFL in passing yards in 2020, results didn’t happen in the standings in a positive manner.
The Houston Texans need help on both sides of the football, but the offense of Houston needs some help just as bad as the defense, mostly because of the lack of a rushing game, which comes down to the offensive line and the running backs.
Culley has not only worked with Jackson, but the Ravens offense averaged 5.9 yards per play in 2020, plus they had 3,071 rushing yards, with quarterback Lamar Jackson leading the team with 1,005 yards rushing and seven rushing touchdowns on 159 carries. Jackson also passed for 2,757 yards with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2020.
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson passed for 4,823 yards with 33 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. Watson also rushed for 444 yards on 90 carries with three rushing scores.
Jackson and Watson are both very athletic quarterbacks, and if Watson were to have a chance to work with Culley, who knows how his game would change. Most likely Watson wouldn’t have 150-plus rushes, but with Culley being a passing game coordinator with the Ravens as well, imagine what type of game plan he could have for Watson as he’s a better passer than Jackson.
Whomever the Houston Texans decide who will be their next head coach, one thing is for certain: if the franchise wants to keep Watson around, the head coach selection must be someone whom Watson can work with, and a coach who can work with Watson. If not, all of this will be a waste of time, and the results will remain the same moving forward.