WHO’S NEXT?
Texans’ talent makes coach and GM positions attractive.
Bill O’Brien ultimately lost a power struggle with himself Monday afternoon when he was fired less than two years after accumulating more clout than anyone in the NFL besides his former boss, Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
When Texans chairman and chief executive officer Cal McNair dismissed O’Brien from his jobs as head coach and general manager, it halted a rocky, up-anddown tenure that included four AFC South titles along with controversial trades and no shortage of drama among a temperamental O’Brien, players and staff.
O’Brien had in the past convinced the McNair family to side with him over former general managers Rick Smith and Brian Gaine. Each time, he emerged with more power and authority. Now O’Brien is gone following an 0-4 start to the 2020 season and a career coaching record of 52-48.
That leaves the Texans at another crossroads as they seek a new head coach — Romeo Crennel was installed in the interim — and determine how they’ll structure their front office moving forward from the O’Brien era.
McNair is expected to lean heavily on executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby, a former Patriots character coach and Kansas City Chiefs team chaplain, as the team launches what’s expected to be a wide-ranging coaching search, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
The Texans are winless despite the presence of Watson. They lack first- and second-round draft picks next spring, an absence of draft capital attributable to the trade with the Miami Dolphins for Tunsil, the highest paid offensive tackle in the league. And they are in last place in the AFC South despite a payroll that includes a league-high $245 million in cash spending this season.
Nonetheless, the Texans’ coaching and general manager positions are attractive.
“That team has talent and can be turned around quickly with the right draft picks and some creative management of the salary cap over the next year,” an NFL general manager told the Chronicle. “I know what they have in Deshaun, and he’s a special, special player. It all starts with the quarterback. If you have the right quarterback and the right offensive system tailored to what he does best, you can win a lot of football games. The Texans have an owner who’s willing to spend a lot of money to try to win. I would expect people to be lined up out of the door wanting this job.”
Among the top candidates for the head coaching vacancy:
Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who helps Andy Reid craft creative game plans for elite quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who’s close to Easterby.
Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who built the Pistol formation plays that have led to huge numbers with quarterback Josh Allen.
Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who has turned inconsistent quarterback Josh Allen into an MVP candidate.
The Texans will also consider highly regarded defensive minds in coordinators Don “Wink” Martindale of the Ravens, Leslie Frazier of the Bills and Robert Saleh of the San Francisco 49ers.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, who has close ties to the Texans through Watson (whom he coached in college) and the staff, would be an intriguing candidate. He once called Watson the Michael Jordan of football.
In terms of the front office, the Texans could try again to land Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio. The Texans attempted to hire Caserio after firing Gaine in 2019 but halted their pursuit after briefly facing tampering charges from Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Texans players were not shocked by O’Brien’s firing after being informed during a meeting Monday afternoon, but they were caught off-guard by its timing, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
O’Brien had lost the confidence of the organization and was increasingly prone to arguments with staff, including loud ones in front of players on the practice field, according to sources.
O’Brien’s legendary temper flared up multiple times in recent years with a series of verbal confrontations throughout the building at Kirby Drive.
The most controversial move involving O’Brien was trading All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins for a second-round draft pick and former All-Pro running back David Johnson. Hopkins was traded after a contract dispute, but the relationship had deteriorated over the past two years.
During his final news conference Monday after being fired and saying goodbye to the players, O’Brien was asked if he regretted any of his decisions.
“I think that every decision we made was always in the best interest of the team,” O’Brien said. “We had long conversations. We put a lot of research into them. There were things that happened within the walls of an organization that the outside public will really never know, and that’s just the way it is.
“We had a lot of great conversations that went into these decisions, a lot of research. We had a lot of people that helped us along the way. We made what we believed were the best decisions for the team. That’s what we always did.”