Search for coach expands to north
The Texans’ search for a new head coach took them on a northern path Monday as they officially requested permission to interview Buffalo defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Baltimore assistant head coach David Culley.
The Texans previously have interviewed Carolina offensive coordinator Joe Brady, former Detroit and Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell and former Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis, currently sharing defensive coordinator duties at Arizona State with Antonio Pierce.
The Texans are recalibrating their search after hiring former New England director of player personnel Nick Caserio as their general manager. They are expected to conduct a wide-ranging process that includes interviewing and considering several diverse candidates after previously relying on and paying $600,000 to Korn Ferry, an executive search firm, as a resource to try to identify a replacement for Bill O’Brien,
who was fired following an 0-4 start.
Frazier, 61, went 21-32-1 as a head coach with Minnesota. He’s a former Ravens secondary coach and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator.
Frazier went 10-6 in 2012 as running back Adrian Peterson won the NFL MVP award by rushing for 2,097 yards. They lost in the playoffs to Green Bay that season when quarterback Christian Ponder was injured and backup Joe Webb started. He was fired following a 5-10-1 season the next year.
The Bills have built a relentless, aggressive defense under Frazier’s direction that includes linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and A. J. Klein, cornerback Tre’Davious White, safety Jordan Poyer and former University of Houston standout defensive tackle Ed Oliver.
“I was made aware that the Texans inquired about setting up an interview,” Frazier said during a press conference Monday. “It’s flattering, but I know the importance of what we’re doing and that keeps me from having double vision. I can really lock in on what we’re doing. It’s so important to take advantage of this opportunity. When you go 25 years without this opportunity, you don’t want to let it slip by.”
The Bills host the Ravens on Saturday in the AFC divisional playoffs.
The Texans have not submitted an interview request for Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll or Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, two other of the top candidates for the openings around the league. Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus declined a request, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
Daboll interviewed with the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Jets following the Bills’ wild-card round victory, the franchise’s first playoff win in a quarter-century, over the Colts. Daboll, who went to high school with Chargers general manager Tom Telesco, is under heavy consideration for an attractive job that includes coaching quarterback Justin Herbert. Daboll is highly regarded by the Texans and shouldn’t be ruled out as a possibility if he doesn’t wind up with the Chargers or Jets job, according to multiple sources.
Culley, 65, coaches the Ravens’ receivers and serves as their passing game coordinator. The Ravens led the NFL in scoring last season (33.2 points per game), ranking seventh this year (29.3 average) behind a run-first attack led by quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson had a 99.3 passer rating this year. Culley coaches wide receivers Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin, Devin Duvernay and James Proche.
Culley has previously been the Bills’ quarterbacks coach, working with Josh Allen, the Kansas City Chiefs’ assistant head coach and receivers coach. He alsoworked with Andy Reid at Philadelphia as a receivers coach. He has also coached the Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh wide receivers and at Texas A&M. Hewas an offensive coordinator at Texas-El Paso.
“He’s excited about it,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Culley during a Zoom video call. “It’s obviously a great job, a great opportunity there. They’ve got a heck of an organization. I do believe that David Culley would be a tremendous hire for any team, and maybe especially the Texans with Deshaun Watson.”