Burke to Texans; Kingsbury up for OC
The Houston Texans have hired Cardinals’ defensive line coach Matt Burke as their defensive coordinator under new head coach DeMeco Ryans and now comes word that Ryans has reached out to former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury regarding the offensive coordinator position.
According to multiple reports, Kingsbury interviewed with the Texans on Friday and is the third known candidate for the job along with Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley and 49ers passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik, both of whom have already interviewed with the Texans.
Kingsbury, 43, was fired by the Cardinals on Jan. 9, a day after Arizona finished the season 4-13, tying the franchise record for most losses in a season. In his four seasons as head coach and offensive play caller, the Cardinals were 28-37-1. He helped guide the Cardinals to an 11-6 record in 2021 and their first postseason appearance in six years, but they lost to the Rams in the NFC Wild Card round, 3411.
Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill signed Kingsbury to a contract extension through the 2027 season in a deal that is worth $30 million to Kingsbury. If he returns to coaching, a buyout clause will result in Kingsbury not collecting anywhere near the full amount he presently is owed.
During his introductory news conference last week with reporters, Ryans, the former 49ers’ defensive coordinator who spent the first six years of his 10-year playing career as a linebacker for the Texans from 2006-2011, discussed what he wants to see out of Houston’s offense.
“We want to be able to operate with the play-action pass, but we also want to be efficient,” he said. “We want to have explosive playmakers who we can get the ball to. If it’s not down the field, we want to be able to throw a checkdown and put it in the hands of an explosive playmaker and see him create.
“Everything about our offense, we want to make sure that we’re adaptable to the players that we have, making sure we’re playing to the strengths of our players, getting the ball in our playmakers’ hand and letting them make plays.”
Burke, 46, began his NFL coaching career in 2006 with the Titans and has spent time with the Lions, Bengals, Dolphins, Eagles and Jets before joining the Cardinals’ staff this past season. The Texans announced his hiring as defensive coordinator on Friday.