Smith Texans’ coach; Allen to lead Saints
Lovie Smith has been hired as the head coach of the Houston Texans.
Smith, who is Black, is the second minority candidate to be hired this offseason after the Dolphins hired 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, who is biracial, on Sunday.
Smith spent last season as Houston’s associate head coach and defensive coordinator. He will replace David Culley, who is also Black, and was fired after just one season.
Smith, 63, joined the Texans last offseason after spending 2016-2020 as the head coach at Illinois.
This will be the third NFL head-coaching job for Smith, who led the Bears for nine seasons and Tampa Bay in 2014 and 2015.
Now he takes over a team in the process of a rebuild after trading or releasing almost all of its top players recently. The Texans went 4-13 last season. Quarterback Deshaun Watson did not play after a trade request and amid 22 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment or assault.
Saints pick Allen:
The Saints have promoted defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to head coach, two people familiar with the decision said.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the Saints have not announced their chosen replacement for Sean Payton, who resigned nearly two weeks ago after 16 years with the club.
Allen, 49, is in his second stint with the Saints. He was their secondary coach when they won the Super Bowl in the 2009 season. He left New Orleans in 2011 to become Denver’s defensive coordinator before taking his first and only other head-coaching position with the Oakland Raiders in 2012.
Kamara arrest delayed:
Police learned Saturday that New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara was a suspect in a pre-dawn beating of a man at a Las Vegas nightclub, but did not arrest Kamara until after Sunday’s Pro Bowl, a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department spokesman said.
The alleged victim in the attack was treated for facial injuries at a Las Vegas hospital, where he told patrol officers that the incident occurred about 10 hours earlier, according to a police statement.
“There was a delay in reporting due to the victim receiving treatment,” the statement said.
Kamara is charged with felony battery resulting in substantial bodily harm. Court and jail records showed Kamara posted bond and has a March 8 court date.
Briefly: The Colts hired Gus Bradley as their defensive coordinator. He replaces Matt Eberflus, who held the same title for head coach Frank Reich’s first four seasons in Indy. Eberflus became the head coach of the Bears . ... Chicago hired Arizona assistant Jim Dray, a Stanford alum, as tight ends coach.