NFL coaching carousel tracker 2023: Who’s been fired, who’s been hired?
By John Buhler
10. Pick Analysis. South. Houston Texans. Scouting Report. AFC. . player
Houston Texans: Lovie Smith -> DeMeco Ryans
It never really felt like Lovie Smith had a chance. The Houston Texans decided to make it back-to-back one-and-dones at head coach by moving on from Smith after only one season. The former Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Illinois Fighting Illini head coach went a miserable 3-13-1 in his lone season at the helm in Houston. All three of his wins came on the road in-division.
Armed with the No. 2 overall pick and the No. 12 pick coming over from the Cleveland Browns as part of the Deshaun Watson trade, Houston has the ammunition to get better in a hurry should Cal McNair hire the right head coach. The Texans may have been an underrated job in this cycle, but having four head coaches in three years, including 2020 interim Romeo Crennel, is a terrible look.
Admittedly, we had a feeling DeMeco Ryans’ strong connection to the Texans’ franchise was too good to overlook. He was a hot commodity during the hiring cycle. It felt inevitable that he would get his own team after coordinating the San Francisco 49ers defense to perfection the last two years. Ryans was drafted by the Texans out of Alabama and had his best years as a pro with them.
For the first time in years, Houston has some hope. This had been a dead franchise ever since the Texans blew a sizable lead to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 AFC Playoffs. They were in dire need of some positivity on the sidelines. There was not a better hire the Texans could have made at the time over Ryans. They have to draft well, but this team may get better in a hurry under him.
Very rarely do we use the words Texans and optimistic in the same sentence, but look at us now!