Before we get to the latest moves, let's take inventory on what's taken place thus far this offseason:
* Outside linebackers coach John Pagano was fired shortly after the Texans' playoff run ended, presumably because a position group that was built around undrafted free agents, castoffs, and Whitney Mercilus couldn't generate a pass rush in the absence of J.J. Watt. (NOTE: It is not known how Pagano felt about air guitar celebrations.)
* Chris Olsen, now former Senior VP of Football Administration was fired on the Sunday of the conference title games (excellent news dump time!). Olsen was responsible for managing the team's salary cap and contract negotiations, which, outside looking in, was one of the few things with football personnel that was working smoothly and without much criticism.
* Longtime defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel stepped down from his role as defensive coordinator, paving the way for defensive line coach Anthony Weaver to take over the reins fo the defense. I'm actually excited about this move. Weaver is a Rex Ryan disciple who I can see trying some new, exciting things on defense next season.
So now, onto the latest beheadings by Bill O'Brien and Executive VP of Football Development Jack Easterby, who are 100 percent co-running this show. According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans have fired the following:
* Director of Player Engagement J.J. Moses
* Assistant strength and conditioning coach/performance therapist Billy Voltaire
* Assistant strength coach Jason George
* Executive assistant for football administration Eva Graham
* Pro and college scouting administrative assistant Amber Davies
The big name on this list is Moses, who was brought in by Brian Gaine to oversee player engagement and create a system that was a world class player engagement system, by NFL standards. Moses, who played wide receiver and returned kicks for the Texans in the early years of the franchise as a player, did just that, with his player engagement system getting recognized as the very best in the NFL. It's a head scratching move, given how crucial words like "culture" and "on boarding" have been to O'Brien when discussing personnel. Moses is an incredibly positive person, who ostensibly was doing what was asked of him.
The other terminations involve names with whom most folks are probably not familiar, but taken collectively are a symbol of the sweeping change over on Kirby, change that promises to continue, and change that is being run by a two headed monster who have a very specific vision for the organization. It would just be nice if someone would speak publicly and explain exactly what that vision is.
As of close of business Tuesday, O'Brien and Easterby now have the titles to go with their power....
What a world! I repeat, it would be nice ifsomeone could explain just what the hell is going on over there.#Texans head coach Bill O’Brien has added the title of general manager. Jack Easterby is now executive Vice President of football operations. He has been executive VP of team development.
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 28, 2020
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