Earlier on Monday, the Houston Texans parted ways with Head Coach/General Manager Bill O’Brien.
O’Brien’s tenure with the Texans began in 2014. O’Brien had a 52-48 record, and a 2-4 record in the playoffs over the past seven seasons.
The Texans were a disappointing 0-4 to begin the 2020 season, which was presumably the final nail in the coffin for O’Brien.
O’Brien’s time as General Manager has been much maligned. The decision to trade away Defensive End Jadeveon Clowney and Wide Receiver DeAndre Hopkins, two of the franchise’s most popular players in recent years, did not help O’Brien’s case to stick around in Houston any longer.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson signed a massive 4-year, $160M extension just this offseason, and the next Texans coach will be working hand-in-hand with Watson for what the team hopes are years to come.
The next coach should be an offensive-minded one that can team with Watson, and take the Texans to the next level in the AFC.
One name rises to the top of all coaching lists, and this man should be the first one the Texans contact for their vacant head coaching position. Eric Bieniemy, the Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator, has been shooting up head coaching lists for the past few seasons but has not been able to capture a coveted head coaching position as of yet.
Bieniemy knows what it is like to work with a young quarterback, and has been one of the driving forces behind the meteoric rise of Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the National Football league, and Bieniemy is one of the reasons for that.
Watson, only 25 years of age, should be able to flourish under the tutelage of Bieniemy. Bieniemy can bring the knowledge he gained from working with Mahomes to help Watson become the best football player he can be.
Other possible candidates for the Texans opening are Josh McDaniels and Matt Eberflus.
McDaniels has been the Patriots OC since 2012 and coached the Denver Broncos in 2009 and 2010. The partnership between McDaniels and Tom Brady in New England led to great success for both men up in Foxborough. McDaniels looks well on his way to having another head coaching job in his future, but the question is if he believes the Houston Texans are the right team to cause him to leave the friendly confines of Gillette Stadium. McDaniels had agreed to become the next head coach of the Indianapolis Colts in 2018, but withdrew from consideration, deciding to remain with the Patriots.
Eberflus may not be as flashy of a name as Bieniemy or McDaniels, but he is just as good of a coach. Eberflus is currently the Defensive Coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts, clearly the best defense through the first four weeks of the 2020 NFL season. If Eberflus were to take a job with the division-rival Texans, he would be able to work with a defensive unit that includes All-Pro Defensive End J.J. Watt.
The Texans should go in the direction of an offensive-minded coach which would remove Eberflus from consideration.
The pedigree of Bieniemy, and his experience coaching Mahomes over the past four seasons, should give him the nod over McDaniels.
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