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Jerrod Johnson

2024 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

By | at February 9, 2024 1:10 pm

After a crowded carousel previously stopped, the 49ers opened their defensive coordinator position. Here is how the NFC champions’ search looks:

Updated 3-2-24 (10:00am CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Dave Ragone)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Ken Dorsey)

  • Joe Brady, interim offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (Bills): Hired
  • Thad Lewis, quarterbacks coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed

Carolina Panthers (Out: Thomas Brown)

  • Marcus Brady, senior offensive assistant (Eagles): Interview requested
  • Brad Idzik, wide receivers coach (Buccaneers): Hired

Chicago Bears (Out: Luke Getsy)

Cincinnati Bengals (Out: Brian Callahan)

  • Andy Dickerson, offensive line coach (Seahawks): To interview
  • Dan Pitcher, quarterbacks coach (Bengals): Promoted

Cleveland Browns (Out: Alex Van Pelt)

Las Vegas Raiders (Out: Mick Lombardi)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Kellen Moore)

New England Patriots (Out: Bill O’Brien)

New Orleans Saints (Out: Pete Carmichael)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Brian Johnson)

  • Jerrod Johnson, quarterbacks coach (Texans): Interviewed
  • Kliff Kingsbury, senior offensive analyst (USC): Interviewed 1/23
  • Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator (Chargers): Hired

Pittsburgh Steelers (Out: Matt Canada)

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Shane Waldron)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Dave Canales)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Tim Kelly)

  • Nick Holz, passing game coordinator (Jaguars): Hired
  • Thad Lewis, quarterbacks coach (Buccaneers): Interviewed
  • Eric Studesville, associate head coach/running backs coach (Dolphins): Interview requested

Washington Commanders (Out: Eric Bieniemy)

  • Chip Kelly, former head coach (Eagles/49ers): On team’s radar
  • Kliff Kingsbury, senior offensive analyst (USC): Hired

Defensive Coordinators

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Ryan Nielsen)

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Mike Macdonald)

  • Zach Orr, inside linebackers coach (Ravens): Promoted

Buffalo Bills

  • Bobby Babich, linebackers coach (Bills): Promoted
  • Mike Caldwell, former defensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed
  • Sean Desai, former defensive coordinator (Eagles): To interview

Chicago Bears (Out: Alan Williams)

  • Joe Barry, former defensive coordinator (Packers): To interview 1/27
  • Chris Harris, secondary coach (Titans): To interview
  • Eric Washington, assistant head coach/defensive line coach (Bills): Hired
  • Terrell Williams, assistant head coach/defensive line coach (Titans): To interview

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Dan Quinn)

Green Bay Packers (Out: Joe Barry)

Jacksonville Jaguars (Out: Mike Caldwell)

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Derrick Ansley)

  • Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator (Michigan): Hired

Los Angeles Rams (Out: Raheem Morris)

Miami Dolphins (Out: Vic Fangio)

New England Patriots

  • DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach (Patriots): Promoted
  • Michael Hodges, linebackers coach (Saints): To interview
  • Tem Lukabu, outside linebackers coach (Panthers): To interview
  • Christian Parker, defensive backs coach (Broncos): Interviewed

New York Giants (Out: Don Martindale)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Sean Desai)

  • Mike Caldwell, former defensive coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed
  • Vic Fangio, former defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Hired
  • Ron Rivera, former head coach (Commanders): Interviewed 1/22

San Francisco 49ers (Out: Steve Wilks)

  • Gerald Alexander, safeties coach (Raiders): Interviewed 3/1
  • Daniel Bullocks, defensive backs coach (49ers): Interviewed 2/28
  • David Merritt, defensive backs coach (Chiefs): To interview
  • Nick Sorensen, defensive passing game specialist (49ers): Promoted
  • Brandon Staley, former head coach (Chargers): Interviewed

Seattle Seahawks (Out: Clint Hurtt)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Shane Bowen)

  • Brandon Lynch, cornerbacks coach (Browns): Interviewed 1/30
  • Dennard Wilson, defensive backs coach (Ravens): Hired

Washington Commanders (Out: Jack Del Rio)

  • Joe Cullen, defensive line coach (Chiefs): Considered a candidate
  • Joe Whitt, defensive backs coach (Cowboys): Hired
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Texans To Extend QBs Coach Jerrod Johnson

By | at January 30, 2024 6:00 pm

Make that two Texans assistants who are staying put. Minutes after reaching an agreement to retain Bobby Slowik, the Texans have a deal to keep Jerrod Johnson. The team’s quarterbacks coach is staying, CBS Sports Jonathan Jones reports.

Entering Tuesday in contention for the Saints and Buccaneers’ jobs, Johnson will pass and commit to working with C.J. Stroud again. This has turned into an important day for the Texans, who have ensured their top two offensive assistants will stay. Johnson agreed to an extension that includes a raise, according to Jones and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.

[RELATED: Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker]

Keeping the Slowik-Johnson-Stroud trio together for a second season, the Texans will attempt to build on their 13th-place offensive finish this season. DVOA slotted Houston’s offense 14th — a massive improvement from the past two seasons. The Texans finished the 2021 and ’22 slates 30th offensively, seeing their Stroud investment effectively transform a downtrodden team.

After bringing Slowik with him from San Francisco, DeMeco Ryans hired Johnson from Kevin O’Connell‘s Minnesota staff. Johnson was on the quality control level during the 2021 season, moving up the ladder twice in the past two years. The Vikings employed Johnson, 36, as their assistant QBs coach during a 13-4 season. That garnered the former quarterback interest on the 2023 OC carousel. Stroud’s performance naturally led to more Johnson OC meetings. In addition to speaking with the Bucs and Saints (twice), Johnson met with the Steelers, Eagles, Patriots and Browns.

Although Stroud ranked 15th in QBR, he led the NFL in INT rate. The Ohio State product threw 499 passes and just five INTs, sprinkling in 23 TD tosses for a Texans team that nearly matched its win total from 2020-22. The 10-7 team then won a playoff game, routing the Browns. Averaging 8.2 yards per attempt, Stroud’s 273.9 yards per game led the NFL.

New Orleans took the rare step of interviewing Johnson twice; the young assistant joins ex-Bears OC Luke Getsy in being summoned for a second meeting. Tampa Bay is conducting an expansive search to replace Dave Canales, who became a one-and-done after landing the Panthers’ HC job. Johnson interviewed for the Bucs job today. The Bucs have now seen four of their candidates exit the race. It is logical Johnson will regroup and look into OC interviews again in 2025.

Considering Stroud’s standing as one of the NFL’s best young talents, it makes sense for Johnson to join Slowik in staying put. Stroud playing well again in 2024 will undoubtedly generate more HC interest for Slowik and OC interest for Johnson. The latter would also seemingly be a coordinator candidate in Houston if Slowik booked a head coaching job elsewhere next year.

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Bucs Interested In Jerrod Johnson, Antwaan Randle El For OC

By | at January 28, 2024 9:09 am

We can add two more names to the Buccaneers’ list of candidates to replace offensive coordinator Dave Canales, who parlayed a strong showing in his one year as Tampa Bay’s OC into a head coaching gig with the division-rival Panthers. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Bucs either have interviewed, or have requested an interview with, Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, and they have requested an interview with Lions wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El.

Johnson, 35, is a popular name in this year’s hiring cycle and has already interviewed with the Browns, Saints, Eagles, and Steelers for their vacant OC positions (Philadelphia went in a different direction, however, as they hired Kellen Moore yesterday). An offensive quality control coach for the Colts from 2020-21, Johnson joined the Vikings as assistant quarterbacks coach in 2022 and took his current position with Houston when DeMeco Ryans was named the Texans’ HC last year.

Of course, Johnson’s work with C.J. Stroud is driving the interest from rival clubs. As a rookie, Stroud led the league in passing yards per game and interception rate while finishing sixth in quarterback rating. That production, along with Stroud’s excellent performance in a wild-card round victory over the Browns earlier this month, raised Johnson’s stock considerably. He took a second interview with New Orleans yesterday, so if Tampa Bay wants him, it may need to act quickly.

Meanwhile, it appears that this is the first time we are hearing Randle El’s name in connection with an OC post. The former college quarterback entered the NFL as a wide receiver and served as an auxiliary target and return man for Pittsburgh and Washington over his nine-year playing career (he earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Steelers in 2005 and caught 12 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown during the team’s four-game run in that postseason).

Now 44, Randle El began his coaching career with the Bucs as an offensive assistant in 2019 and accepted his current post with the Lions in 2021. While Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has understandably drawn rave reviews for his work in the Motor City — which is likely to earn him an HC job of his own in the very near future — Randle El has coaxed strong production out of the Lions’ complementary wideouts and has overseen the evolution of 2021 fourth-rounder Amon-Ra St. Brown. St. Brown earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2022 and firmly established himself as one of the league’s top receivers in 2023, piling up 119 receptions for 1,515 yards and 10 TDs en route to a First Team All-Pro selection.

The Bucs will have to wait to interview Randle El until the Lions’ season is over. Detroit takes on the 49ers in today’s NFC Championship game, and assuming Ben Johnson lands one of the remaining HC posts — the Seahawks and Commanders are now the only two clubs with vacancies — Randle El would be an obvious candidate to fill his shoes with the Lions.

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Jerrod Johnson Earns Second Saints OC Interview

By | at January 27, 2024 9:00 am

Jerrod Johnson has moved on to the next round of the Saints OC search. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Texans quarterbacks coach has a second interview for New Orleans’ offensive coordinator job today.

[RELATED: 2024 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker]

Johnson has quickly worked his way up through the coaching ranks in recent years. Following Bill Walsh Diversity coaching fellowships with the 49ers and Colts, he joined Indianapolis full-time as an offensive quality control coach in 2020. Following two seasons in that gig, Johnson left for Minnesota to become the Vikings assistant QBs coach in 2022.

When DeMeco Ryans got the Texans job last offseason, he turned to his former 49ers coworker. Johnson was named Houston’s quarterbacks coach last offseason, and his first season couldn’t have gone much better. Rookie C.J. Stroud ended up leading the NFL in passing yards per game and in INT rate, throwing just five picks vs. 23 touchdowns. Thanks to the quarterback’s impressive performance, Johnson has become a hot name on the coordinator market. Besides meeting virtually with the Saints earlier this month, the coach has also been connected to open jobs with the Browns, Eagles, Steelers, and Buccaneers.

The Saints have cast a relatively wide net as they look to replace Pete Carmichael. Dan Pitcher was the only other known candidate to earn a second interview with New Orleans. However, the former Bengals quarterbacks coach has since earned a promotion to offensive coordinator, making Johnson the apparent leader in the clubhouse.

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Steelers To Interview Jerrod Johnson For OC Position

By | at January 26, 2024 8:49 am

Jerrod Johnson remains a top candidate for an offensive coordinator gig. The Texans QBs coach is set to meet with the Steelers today to discuss their OC vacancy, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Pittsburgh replaced Matt Canada midseason, handing the reins of the offense to Eddie Faulkner and Mike Sullivan. That move (accompanied down the stretch by a switch to Mason Rudolph under center) produced an uptick in production for the unit, but it came as no surprise when head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed the team would look outside the organization for its next offensive coordinator.

Johnson (whose playing career included time in Pittsburgh in the 2012 offseason) represents a logical candidate for a replacement. The 35-year-old has only spent one season in his current post – having previously worked as an assistant QBs coach with the Vikings – but his work with C.J. Stroud has helped his stock dramatically. Stroud and the Texans shattered expectations in his rookie season, and that has generated plenty of outside interest for Johnson. The Saints and Browns have met with him already, and the same is true of the Eagles.

Johnson’s lack of experience relative to other candidates available could hinder his chances of landing an OC position, but the chance still remains that he could be promoted to the coordinator role in Houston. Texans OC Bobby Slowik has received head coaching interest in this year’s cycle, and his departure would create a notable vacancy on Houston’s staff. Johnson could be an internal option to take over from Slowik in the event he were to leave.

The Steelers’ list of OC candidates is relatively small for now, and the team’s only other interview to date has been with Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. Pittsburgh also has a meeting lined up with Rams QBs coach Zac Robinson. Johnson will join that pair in discussing a key role on Tomlin’s staff, as the Steelers look to find certainty at the quarterback position and on the sidelines for 2024.

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Eagles Interview Texans’ Jerrod Johnson For OC Position

By | at January 24, 2024 12:03 pm

Barely 24 hours after firing Brian Johnson, the Eagles are at work interviewing replacement candidates. Following their Kliff Kingsbury meeting, the Eagles met with a younger candidate.

Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson is on the Eagles’ radar, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reporting the young assistant has also met with Philly about the job. Johnson, whom the Texans hired last year, has also met with the Saints and Browns about their respective OC openings.

As C.J. Stroud‘s position coach, Johnson certainly has momentum to use this season as a platform to land a coordinator job. The 35-year-old staffer has just one season of experience as a quarterbacks coach, coming to Houston after a stay as Minnesota’s assistant QBs coach. The Eagles would stand to join the Saints in seeking a play-calling OC, with the Browns preparing to hire a non-play-calling coordinator.

That said, Nick Sirianni is an offense-oriented coach. It is unclear if the Eagles are retaining Sirianni, though with ownership signing off on the team firing both its offensive and defensive coordinators, signs still point to the Super Bowl HC staying for a fourth season. Sirianni has not been the Eagles’ primary play-caller since he relinquished those duties to Shane Steichen midway through the 2021 season.

Johnson also has a history with Sirianni; both were on Frank Reich‘s Colts staff from 2019-20. Johnson broke into the coaching ranks as on a Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship in 2019 and worked as a quality control staffer from 2020-21, leading to the Minnesota job offer. Sirianni brought ex-Colts coworker Marcus Brady to Philly, with Jonathan Gannon also coming over from Indianapolis back in 2021. With this hire being crucial to Sirianni’s Eagles future, it will assuredly take more than familiarity to fill the job.

Stroud rocketing out of the starting blocks has changed the Texans’ outlook, with the team venturing to the playoffs for the first time in four years. The No. 2 overall pick’s performance landing Johnson a job would add up, but with the Texans having Bobby Slowik still on the HC carousel, any staff continuity would be important going into the offseason.

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Saints, Browns To Interview Texans’ Jerrod Johnson For OC Position

By | at January 21, 2024 5:44 pm

5:44pm: It appears the Saints‘ request will be honored as Johnson is reportedly expected to interview with the Saints sometime early this week, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Additionally, the Browns have added Johnson to their list of offensive coordinator candidates, as well. Cleveland fired their offensive coordinator of four years, Alex Van Pelt, this week following a one-sided loss to the Texans in the Wild Card round. Van Pelt was a non-play-calling coordinator on head coach Kevin Stefanski‘s staff. His dismissal and Stefanski’s desire to interview one of the top up-and-coming names in the coaching world may point to a willingness from Stefanski to give up play-calling duties. Regardless, Johnson will interview with the Browns early this week, as well.

9:56am: Jerrod Johnson is back on the OC interview circuit. Landing on the coordinator radar last year, Johnson ended up in Houston as the Texans’ quarterbacks coach. After C.J. Stroud‘s rookie season, teams should be expected to give Johnson more attention as OC jobs become available.

One will be the Saints. New Orleans will be the first team to request an OC interview with Johnson this year, with CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones noting the young assistant has received a slip from the NFC South team. Johnson joins Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson and Bengals QBs coach Dan Pitcher on the Saints’ OC radar thus far.

The Chargers brought in Johnson for a meeting last year but ended up going with Kellen Moore soon after the latter’s Cowboys exit. A former Vikings assistant quarterbacks coach, Johnson still managed to move up the ladder. Working under Bobby Slowik in Houston this season, the 35-year-old assistant presided over one of the better QB rookie years in recent NFL history. Stroud’s early readiness will likely garner Johnson more than one OC meeting this offseason.

Puka Nacua‘s record-setting season may not be enough to beat out Stroud for Offensive Rookie of the Year, considering where the Texans were since the Deshaun Watson turbulence began. Stroud led the NFL in passing yards per game and in INT rate, throwing just five picks, and quarterbacked the Texans to a one-sided wild-card win over the Browns. Johnson’s first season as a team’s top QBs coach could not have gone much better.

Johnson, who bounced around the NFL as a practice squad arm during the 2010s, is just two years removed from the quality control level. The Colts employed Johnson as such from 2020-21, with the Vikings bringing him in as their assistant QBs coach during Kevin O’Connell‘s first season. Five teams — the Falcons, Panthers, Seahawks, Titans and Commanders — sent Slowik interview requests. The prospect of Ryans losing his top two offensive assistants after Year 1 will be in play.

3 comments Cleveland Browns Houston Texans New Orleans Saints

2023 Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Search Tracker

By | at February 28, 2023 2:45 pm

As the head coaching carousel spun for several weeks, many teams made coordinator changes as well. Teams seeking new head coaches are conducting OC and DC searches, and a handful of other teams that did not make HC changes are also searching for top assistants.

This is a big year for offensive coordinator hires, with nearly half the league making changes. Here are the teams searching for new OCs and DCs. As new searches emerge, they will be added to the list.

Updated 3-1-23 (3:31pm CT)

Offensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals 

Baltimore Ravens (Out: Greg Roman)

Carolina Panthers (Out: Ben McAdoo)

  • Thomas Brown, tight ends coach, (Rams): Hired
  • Jim Bob Cooter, passing-game coordinator (Jaguars): Interviewed

Dallas Cowboys (Out: Kellen Moore)

  • Brian Angelichio, tight ends coach (Vikings): Interviewed 2/2
  • Thomas Brown, tight ends coach (Rams): Interviewed
  • Jeff Nixon, running backs coach (Panthers): Interviewed
  • Brian Schottenheimer, offensive consultant (Cowboys): Hired

Denver Broncos (Out: Justin Outten)

Houston Texans (Out: Pep Hamilton)

Indianapolis Colts (Out: Parks Frazier)

  • Jim Bob Cooter, passing-game coordinator (Jaguars): Hired
  • Tee Martin, wide receivers coach (Ravens): Interview requested

Kansas City Chiefs (Out: Eric Bieniemy)

  • Matt Nagy, quarterbacks coach (Chiefs): Hired

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Joe Lombardi)

Los Angeles Rams (Out: Liam Coen)

New York Jets (Out: Mike LaFleur)

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Shane Steichen)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Out: Byron Leftwich)

Tennessee Titans (Out: Todd Downing)

Washington Commanders (Out: Scott Turner)

Defensive Coordinators

Arizona Cardinals (Out: Vance Joseph)

Atlanta Falcons (Out: Dean Pees)

Buffalo Bills (Out: Leslie Frazier)

Carolina Panthers (Out: Al Holcomb)

  • Ejiro Evero, former defensive coordinator (Broncos): Hired
  • Vic Fangio, former head coach (Broncos): Interviewed
  • Marquand Manuel, safeties coach (Jets): Interviewed
  • Kris Richard, co-defensive coordinator (Saints): Interviewed

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans 

Los Angeles Chargers (Out: Renaldo Hill)

  • Derrick Ansley, defensive backs coach (Chargers): Promoted
  • Doug Belk, defensive coordinator (Houston): Interviewed
  • DeMarcus Covington, defensive line coach (Patriots): Interviewed

Miami Dolphins (Out: Josh Boyer)

Minnesota Vikings (Out: Ed Donatell)

New Orleans Saints (Out: Ryan Nielsen, Kris Richard)

  • Joe Woods, former defensive coordinator (Browns): Hired

Philadelphia Eagles (Out: Jonathan Gannon)

San Francisco 49ers (Out: DeMeco Ryans)

  • Vic Fangio, former head coach (Broncos): On radar
  • Chris Harris, defensive backs coach (Commanders): Interviewed 1/31
  • Kris Kocurek, defensive line coach (49ers): On radar
  • Steve Wilks, former interim head coach (Panthers): Hired
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Texans To Hire Bobby Slowik As Offensive Coordinator

By | at February 12, 2023 11:35 am

The Texans will hire Bobby Slowik as their new offensive coordinator, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports (via Twitter). Like DeMeco Ryans, Houston’s new head coach, Slowik joined the 49ers as a defensive quality control coach in 2017. He subsequently moved to the other side of the ball and spent the 2022 campaign as San Francisco’s offensive passing game coordinator. He will now follow Ryans from the Bay Area to Texas.

[RELATED: Texans Hire Matt Burke As DC]

Slowik, 35, represented a logical candidate to take on the OC job in Houston, one which was vacated by Pep Hamilton. The latter held that role last season for the first time with the Texans, overseeing one of the league’s lowest-scoring and least efficient offenses. Talent obviously played a large role on that front, of course, but it comes as no surprise that a new face is being brought in to help the team’s rebuild.

Today’s news comes just days after Kliff Kingsbury was brought in for an interview for the offensive coordinator posting. That, in turn, came as something of a surprise considering the belief the ex-Cardinals head coach would spend the 2023 season away from the sidelines. Aaron Wilson of KPRC reports that his sit-down with the Texans went well, but Slowik was thought by many to be the frontrunner once it became official that Ryans was the new head coach in Houston.

The son of former NFL DC Bob Slowik, Bobby began his NFL tenure in Washington in 2010. That time was followed by a brief stint as a defensive assistant in the nation’s capital, then a three-year period working as an analyst with Pro Football Focus. He turned his work with the analytics website into his first San Francisco position, allowing him plenty of time to gain experience on both sides of the ball and develop a working relationship with Ryans. Expectations will be raised for the pair heading into the 2023 season.

Slowik played a key role in the 49ers’ offense over the past several years, helping coach one of the more unique units in the league. San Francisco has ranked in the top four in the NFL in terms of total offense three times in the past four seasons, finishing top-six in scoring twice during that same span. Slowik will be dealing with a very different Texans group in his first coordinator posting, but the team does appear to have the foundation of a strong running game in place in tailback Dameon Pierce, and has a prime opportunity in the upcoming draft to land a franchise quarterback.

In other Texans news, Pelissero’s colleague Mike Garafolo tweets that Jerrod Johnson is coming onboard as the team’s quarterbacks coach. Johnson, 34, is a Houston native who received OC interest during this year’s cycle. He interviewed for the Texans’ coordinator vacancy, along with that of the Chargers. Johnson spent last year as the assistant QBs coach in Minnesota, and will take on a larger role this season in Houston with, in all likelihood, a rookie signal-caller in place.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

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Texans To Interview Kliff Kingsbury For OC

By | at February 10, 2023 12:22 pm

Kliff Kingsbury appears through with his vacation. The recently fired Cardinals coach is interviewing for a job on DeMeco Ryans‘ Texans staff, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets.

This is an offensive coordinator interview, Aaron Wilson of KPRC reports. The team has interviewed multiple OC candidates already; Kingsbury would check in with a higher profile. The Texans are meeting with Kingsbury today.

[RELATED: Texans To Hire Matt Burke As DC]

A mid-January report indicated Kingsbury had rejected OC interviews, instead telling teams he bought a one-way ticket to Thailand. Kingsbury’s only coaching job in the NFL came as a head coach, though he has extensive experience coaching in Texas. Prior to spending six seasons as Texas Tech’s head coach, Kingsbury was an offensive coordinator at Houston and Texas A&M. The former Texas Tech quarterback is a San Antonio-area native. Though a more relevant work sample can be studied from Kingsbury’s Cardinals tenure, he coached Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech and ran the offense during Johnny Manziel‘s 2012 Heisman-winning season.

Kingsbury’s Cardinals tenure unraveled quickly. The Cards gave he and then-GM Steve Keim through-2027 extensions in March 2022. That came after Kingsbury led the Cards to their first playoff berth since 2015. Arizona then finished 4-13, leading to the team canning its recently reupped HC. Despite steady rumblings of the Cards considering a dismissal, Kingsbury was believed to be taken aback by the firing.

The Texans have interviewed 49ers passing-game coordinator Bobby Slowik for their OC position and requested a meeting with Bengals wide receivers coach Troy Walters. Jerrod Johnson, the Vikings’ assistant quarterbacks coach, also interviewed for the job, Wilson tweets. None of these staffers has called plays in the NFL previously. A previous report suggested Kingsbury could take a break in 2023, but he is now entertaining the possibility of taking another job immediately.

Although Kingsbury’s Cardinals offenses drew criticism for a lack of downfield production, the team ranked as a top-eight unit in 2020 and ’21. Both those years produced Kyler Murray Pro Bowl invites, though Murray injuries affected each of those squads. Kingsbury’s team also lost DeAndre Hopkins for the 2021 stretch run, leading to a downturn ahead of a playoff blowout against the Rams. Last season brought an avalanche of issues for the Cards, who are still in the process of selecting their Kingsbury replacement.

Evidenced partially by Murray cursing out Kingsbury during a nationally televised Cardinals win over the Saints, the quarterback and the coach who pushed to bring him to Arizona were not seeing eye-to-eye last season. Hopkins’ PED ban and trade acquisition Marquise Brown‘s ensuing foot injury kept Kingsbury from being able to deploy his top two wideouts together for most of the season. More injury trouble slowed Hopkins, and Arizona’s aging offensive line sustained a few hits as well. The Cardinals lost Murray to an ACL tear during a December Monday-night tilt and ended up starting four QBs before season’s end.

The Texans are looking for their third OC in three years. Bill O’Brien staffer Tim Kelly stayed on under David Culley, and the team promoted QBs coach Pep Hamilton to be Lovie Smith‘s OC. Ryans will not be promoting from within, and the next Houston OC may well have a rookie quarterback to mentor.

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