This time, a year ago, C.J. Stroud was less than a week away from the formality of being named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, after tossing 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions in leading the Texans back to the postseason for the first time since 2019. The orchestrator of that offense, the man pushing the buttons that led Stroud to his historic season, was offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
So, simultaneously, while Stroud was accepting all of his postseason accolades, Texans fans were nervous about Slowik moving onto another job, landing one of the vacant head coach openings. Slowik interviewed for five of the spots, and made it to the very end of the process with at least one. Alas, much to the relief of Texans fans, Slowik chose to stay on as Texans’ OC for another season, presumably with a huge pay raise.
Now, fast forward one year, and the same Texans fans who were joyful over Slowik’s decision to remain in Houston are all celebrating his demise. After a turbulent 2024 season for the Texans’ offense, which included regression into the bottom third of the league in many, many statistical categories, Slowik was fired on Friday.
The Texans are now on the hunt for his replacement, and they’re expected to close on a new OC pretty quickly. If you’re going to catch the teams that were all still playing this weekend, there can be no hesitation. The work must begin immediately. To that end, here are three candidates that are getting the most buzz right now, along with their most recent job positions they’ve held:
JERROD JOHNSON, Texans QB coach
Like Slowik, Johnson was viewed by Texans fans as a precious asset after the 2023 season, for his role in helping Stroud achieve the height he did in his rookie season. Like Slowik, Johnson’s return in 2024 was celebrated. Now, we will see if the stink of Slowik’s termination is on Johnson, too. The mere fact that he was retained for now, unlike the offensive line coaches, indicates that the Texans don’t see Johnson at nearly the culpability level of Slowik. A promotion to offensive coordinator for Johnson would be the ultimate blame on Slowik. Personally, I’d rather the keys be handed to a seasoned play caller, not a first timer like Johnson would be.
NICK CALEY, Rams tight ends coach / passing game coordinator
Caley, who interviewed for this same job in 2023 before it was given to Slowik, seems to check a lot of the “connect the dots”-type boxes. First, he comes from the coaching tree of Rams head coach Sean McVay, which has spawned many successful coaching careers once candidates have left Los Angeles. Second, Caley is a John Carroll graduate, same as GM Nick Caserio and special teams coordinator Frank Ross. Finally, Caley spent six seasons in New England on the coaching staff while Caserio worked in the front office, so there is some familiarity there. However, like Johnson, Caley has never been the primary play caller for an offense.
CHIP KELLY, Ohio State offensive coordinator
Kelly is the most experienced candidate on the “hot list” that is this article. He’s been a head coach on both the major collegiate (Oregon, UCLA) and NFL (Eagles, Niners) level, and is widely regarded as one of the sharpest and most innovative offensive minds in the sport. He also has history with, and great respect for, DeMeco Ryans, having coached him for three seasons in Philadelphia:
Kelly would be the home run hire, in my opinion. Again, whoever it is, I would expect this hire to happen pretty quickly.
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