Lovie Smith ‘unlikely’ to hire a defensive coordinator

The Houston Texans are letting Lovie Smith retain his old role.

After being promoted to head coach, Lovie Smith will still be the one making the defensive play calls for the 2022 season. Known as a defensive guru, Smith has guided some great defenses over the years. As good as Smith has been, the problem is that his defenses have been sporadic in terms of total yards.

So while Lovie will get a chance to improve on his 31st-ranked Texans defense (in terms of yards allowed), the Texans will need to supply him with the players to do so. This is a way that the Texans can keep some sort of consistency after a handful of position coaches left before Smith got the job.

So what should the Houston Texans do exactly to help Smith in his first year as the Houston Texans’ head coach?

Houston Texans should go with a defensive-heavy approach in free agency

The Texans need all the help they can get, and in free agency, there are a handful of players this year that could turn it around for them on defense. Guys such as Leighton Vander Esch, Houston’s own Kamu Grugier-Hill (although I have a feeling that KGH is gone).

Stephon Gilmore and Joe Haden highlight the cornerback class as well, and Chandler Jones is the biggest name in the defensive linemen category. Getting one or two solid players in free agency will allow the Texans to build their infrastructure in the draft, especially at the offensive and defensive line positions.

Drafting young talent at those positions to help the investment that is Davis Mills is what needs to happen for Houston to make strides in competitiveness and winning more games. Houston should wait to address the position outside of the trenches before moving on after their first-round pick.