5 replacements for Bill O’Brien as Houston Texans head coach

If the Texans are looking at going with a defensive-minded head coach, then they would have to look at San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh in this theoretically extended coaching cycle, pending O’Brien’s firing. Saleh did not get the Cleveland Browns’ job that went to Minnesota Vikings coordinator Kevin Stefanski but was a finalist to replace Freddie Kitchens.

Saleh coaches with a ton of energy, as he stems from the impressive Pete Carroll coaching tree. He was on Gus Bradley’s staff with the Jacksonville Jaguars and is the top assistant coach on Kyle Shanahan’s staff in San Francisco. In short, he should be able to build a solid staff because he is well-connected to two important trees in Carroll’s defensively and Shanahan’s offensively.

The thing that might be holding Saleh back in this cycle is if he’s truly ready to be the main man in charge. Coaching with energy is great, but you do have to express some composure as an NFL head coach, even if you do have a strong defensive background like Saleh. In short, he may be a tad too ripe in 2019, but he’s ripe for the picking in 2020 for a 2021 gig, no doubt.

Perhaps the biggest reason the Texans should go after him is that Saleh has a bit of that special something that has made Mike Vrabel such a strong head coach for the Tennessee Titans. To lose Vrabel to a job in-division has to hurt the McNairs. Should they be able to land a defensive-minded coach like Saleh to be their fourth coach in franchise history, maybe it won’t hurt so bad?