Shortly after the Houston Texans season ended with a Divisional Round loss, head coach DeMeco Ryans decided to shake up his staff.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik was let go, as was offensive line coach Chris Strausser.
These moves weren’t unexpected following the issues Houston had on offense all year. Slowik’s play-calling was heavily criticized and the offensive line surrendered an unbelievable number of sacks — including eight in the loss to Kansas City.
While the O-line coach is important, all eyes will be on the new offensive coordinator. Houston has the talent to contend with anyone, which is why DeMeco Ryans knows he has to get this correct. To ensure that happens, he’s been casting a wide net in his recent search.
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One of the first names to surface as a candidate was Chip Kelly, who just won a National Championship with Ohio State as their offensive coordinator. He hasn’t interviewed yet but the Texans did meet with Syracuse offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon.
Syracuse OC Jeff Nixon Syracuse interviewed for the #Texans OC job, per sources.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 28, 2025
Nixon was the Giants RB coach in 2023 and coordinated a successful Syracuse offense last year.
Nixon had a breakout season for Syracuse in 2024 as the play-caller. He’s no stranger to the NFL either, coaching for several different teams. Most recently, he was the New York Giants running back coach in 2023.
In addition to New York, Nixon coached with the Carolina Panthers, where he was the interim offensive coordinator in 2021 and assistant head coach in 2022.
Houston also interviewed Jerrod Johnson, who is their quarterbacks coach. Johnson has been targeted for other positions around the league.
There’s no early favorite but it’s clear Ryans wants to make sure his net is cast as wide as possible.