5 head coaching candidates for the Houston Texans this offseason

With Bill O’Brien out, the Houston Texans now have a chance to start fresh with a new name calling the shots. 

It’s best to separate the two entities.

Bill O’Brien the coach proved to be a winner, helping the Houston Texans clinch the AFC South title four times in six seasons. Then there’s O’Brien the general manager, who nearly ran the franchise into the ground with costly trades and free-agent acquisitions.

In the end, the two merged to create a problem found in Houston.

The 4-12 Texans will be going through a rebuilding stage in 2021. Yes, the quarterback of the franchise in Deshaun Watson is there, but what else is left? With little cap space and down two early draft selections, things won’t be getting better overnight.

The McNair family has been willing to give all three coaches in the franchise’s history time to turn things around, so they’ll need someone for the long haul. These names might not be the flashiest, but they could change the culture found at NRG Stadium.

Here are five coaches the Texans should consider hiring this offseason

Jim Caldwell has proven to be a winner at both stops in his tenure as an NFL head coach. In his first season with the Indianapolis Colts, he helped them pick up the league’s best record and represent the AFC in Super Bowl. In four years with the Detroit Lions, only one ended with them below .500.

Watson will be asked to do more with less next offseason. The team could keep Brandin Cooks and will hope to lessen the price for Will Fuller. Isaiah Coulter might need to step up into the No. 3 role with Randall Cobb looking like a cap casualty at $8.25 million in 2021.

Caldwell feels like the safe option should the franchise miss on a big name. He’s worked with plenty of quarterbacks before and helped names such as Peyton Manning, Joe Flacco and Matthew Stafford all reach their personal best on the field.

This would be a temporary fix, as Caldwell would be one of the older coaches at 66 when the season kicks off. However, the Lions had one winning season with Jim Schwartz then made the playoffs their first year under Caldwell. For a quick rebuild, he’s perfect.