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HOUSTON – The Houston Texans have hired Baltimore Ravens assistant David Culley to be their next head coach, sources told ESPN, confirming a Houston Chronicle report.
Culley, 65, who has spent the past two seasons in Baltimore, has just completed his 27th season as an NFL coach. In addition to being the team’s assistant head coach, Culley was Baltimore’s passing game coordinator and receivers coach. The Ravens finished the 2020 season last in the NFL by the way.
“It’s a great opportunity there,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said of the Texans’ opener in the week leading up to the Baltimore Division playoff game. “They’ve got a hell of a organization. I think David Culley would be a great employee for any team; maybe, most importantly, the Texans with Deshaun Watson.”
The Ravens are now given two third-round compensatory picks (one in 2021 and another in 2022) for Culley to be hired by their staff. This comes from a resolution passed in November that seeks to encourage NFL teams to develop and hire minority candidates for head coach and general manager positions.
Culley has never been an offensive coordinator at the NFL level. He was also assistant head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs from 2013-2016 and spent the 2017 and 18 seasons as quarterbacks coach of the Buffalo Bills. When the Ravens hired Culley in 2019, Harbaugh said the coach was highly respected “as a teacher, game planner and motivator.”
When the Texans fired head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien in October, Houston became the first team with an opening for either position. The Texans hired Nick Caserio as their new general manager earlier this month and gave him the reins of their head coach search.
With Culley, Houston interviewed Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, former Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell, Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and current quarterback. Texans Josh McCown after Caserio took over. The Texans also interviewed Brandon Staley before he was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Amid the search for coaching the Texans, sources told ESPN that Watson was not happy with the process the organization used to hire Caserio. And sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that regardless of who the Texans hired as their next head coach, Watson’s desire to be traded shouldn’t change.
The Texans have just completed a 4-12 season, in which Watson played the best football of his NFL career. The fourth-year quarterback set career highs in touchdowns, passing yards and completion percentage. He also threw seven interceptions at his career low.
Jamison Hensley of ESPN contributed to this report.
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