The Houston Texans have fired their 1-year head coach Lovie Smith. This is their second straight year with a one-and-done head coach after David Culley was fired following a 4-13 season. Smith went 3-13-1 in his only year with the team.
Here are three possible replacements for Smith as the Texans’ head coach for the 2023 season.
Ben Johnson
Not a lot of highly sought-after names are going to want this job. This franchise has next to no direction, and managed to win their way out of the number one overall pick in 2023 with a last-second two-point conversion.
With that being established, some less-than-flashy names are going to be floated for this job. The higher-tier perennial suggestions for head coach are going to take a more stable position. The 36-year-old Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions had a good year and might be looking to start something of his own, rather than being tied to Jared Goff.
If Johnson ends up being ousted for a more established head coach after the Texans have a bit more of an identity, it wouldn’t hurt his future job prospects. He would be seen as a stop-gap coach and could get another OC job, or maybe another head coaching position if his record warranted it. This would be a huge promotion for someone willing to prove himself with a new quarterback.
Brian Callahan
Brian Callahan is a hotter name than should probably consider a job like this, and it may be a bad move for him due to the lack of talent on this roster. He has proven to be able to run one of the most explosive and balanced offenses in the entire league with the right pieces.
He’ll likely have a young quarterback and a few new receivers to play with, and the Texans will already have a great second-year running back on the roster. So, signs could be pointing up for a guy like Callahan who could get creative with these pieces.
The Bengals job is great right now, however. They are going to be in the running for the AFC North and maybe the Super Bowl as long as Chase, Burrow and Mixon are healthy. But, if he wants to try his hand at building something new, it is certainly an opportunity to do that.
Steve Wilks
The Panthers may want to keep Wilks after a surprisingly successful interim tenure. Plus, the players seem to respond to and like him. But, he may get multiple offers seeing as how he took a relatively talent-free roster and contended for the NFC South.
Wilks held a head coaching position with the Cardinals for one year before being ousted for Kliff Kingsbury (who was also fired on Monday). He never got a chance to prove himself with a young quarterback, which, as stated before, the Texans will almost certainly have. He may want to chart new territory in another bad division.
Stay tuned for more breaking NFL content, including midseason moves, contract updates and more news from every team.
Featured image courtesy of David T. Foster III/Charlotte Observer/TNS via Getty Images
You can “Like” The Game Haus on Facebook and “Follow” us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Ben!
“From Our Haus to Yours“
- SEO Powered Content & PR Distribution. Get Amplified Today.
- Platoblockchain. Web3 Metaverse Intelligence. Knowledge Amplified. Access Here.
- Source: https://thegamehaus.com/nfl/3-head-coach-candidates-for-the-houston-texans/2023/01/09/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3-head-coach-candidates-for-the-houston-texans
