As I mentioned last week as the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles were considering hiring James Liipfert and Jerrod Johnson away from the Houston Texans respectively, thanks to a crippling case of ornithophobia, an afternoon of bird watching has never really been my jam. But because it's my job to bring all Houston Texans news to the readers of Toro Times -- and because this sort of bird watching can be done from the safety of my home -- I decided to make an exception.
Once again, I've decided to make an exception, going bird watching for the second straight week all because the Arizona Cardinals have their sights set on a member of the Houston Texans coaching staff. Fortunately for me, cardinals are not nearly as vicious or violent as falcons or eagles are, but that doesn't mean the Cardinals of Arizona don't pose a serious threat to swoop in and steal defensive backs coach Dino Vasso away from the Texans.
It was only a couple of weeks ago that the Cardinals were being linked to Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke, who had been receiving some well deserved head coaching buzz after overseeing the league's most dominant and disruptive defense in Houston. But after the Cardinals pivoted away from Burke, instead hiring Mike LaFleur away from the Los Angeles Rams, there remained a void on the team's coaching staff.
Now it's the 38-year-old Vasso, who has been coaching the Texans secondary since the 2021 season, who could end up departing for Arizona.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Cardinals have officially requested an interview with Dino Vasso for their vacant defensive coordinator job.
It should go without saying that losing Matt Burke would be a more difficult loss for the Texans to have to overcome, but that doesn't mean that losing Dino Vasso would be something that Houston could simply brush off. Vasso has been instrumental in the development of Derek Stingley Jr., Calen Bullock, Jalen Pitre and Kamari Lassiter, a quartet of defensive backs who will be appearing on numerous preseason All-Pro predictions list come August and September.
The Philadelphia native was on the Eagles coaching staff that brought the Lombardi Trophy to the City of Brotherly Love for the first time in 2018, and prior to that, he served on Andy Reid's staff in Kansas City from 2013 to 2015. It's not a matter of if Dino Vasso will eventually become a defensive coordinator... it's when.
For now, Texans fans will continue to hope that this day doesn't come for a while. Best case scenario is that whenever Matt Burke gets the opportunity to sit in the big seat and become a head coach, Vasso could step up to the plate and become the Texans next defensive coordinator. But if those pesky red birds out in the desert have anything to say about it, Houston may never get that chance.