HOUSTON – Before all the commercial talks, reports about his future and the hiring of coach David Culley, Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was asked what he was looking for in his next head coach.
“I mean, we just need a whole cultural change,” Watson said earlier this month. “We just need new energy. We need discipline, we need structure, we need a leader, so we can follow the leader as players. That’s what we need. We need to have the love not just of the game. football, because that’s what we do, but the love for the people and the people in this organization. “
“We need someone to stand tall and [says] this is the one we are pursuing and this is the way it works … and we will do it this way to win “.
Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who hired Culley in 2019 as assistant head coach, said he is respected “as a teacher, game planner and motivator.” Culley is the first black head coach employed by the Texans and the first in the NFL employment cycle.
By hiring Culley, the Texans hope to find that person to build the foundation Watson asked for. But will Culley have a chance to coach Watson? The star defender officially requested a transaction on Thursday.
For most Texan fans, Culley’s name is unfamiliar. So who is he and why did Texan CEO Cal McNair and general manager Nick Caserio choose him to be the next coach of the franchise?
Who is David Culley?
Culley, 65, has spent the last two seasons in Baltimore as Ravens’ assistant head coach, passing game coordinator and wide-receiver coach. He just finished his 27th season as NFL coach after 16 seasons in various college coaching roles. He will be the oldest coach in NFL history at the time of his debut as head coach.
Culley was never an NFL offensive coordinator, but he was the assistant head coach before his stint in Baltimore for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Ravens were a first offense in 2020 as they led the NFL in rushing yards and ranked last in passing yards.
What does this mean for Deshaun Watson?
This is perhaps the most important question, and in requesting a transaction, Watson put the ball in the Texans’ court.
While the Texans may agree to trade the terms with another team before the start of the new league year on March 17, a transaction cannot be executed until then. The key period we need to pay attention to is before the NFL project in April, because if the Texans were to trade Watson, they would like to make sure they get the 2021 project capital when the selection slots are blocked.
Watson has a prohibition clause in the contract. This means that Watson has a significant say in his destiny, as he could choose not to give up the clause.
Any Watson transaction will incur a $ 5.6 million dead money tax on Texans. Due to the way his contract is structured (technically he is in the last year of the rookie agreement, before the four-year contract extension), the fee for 2021 is only $ 15.94 million. In comparison, that number jumps to $ 40.4 million in 2022.
What does it bring to Houston?
Texans are serious about fixing the organization’s culture, and I think Culley is the person who does it.
After a second interview with the Texans – this time in person – the team was impressed by Culley’s energy and believes he has the NFL experience to make that cultural change in the building, even if he was not the coordinator.
“The thing I would emphasize about coach Culley, more than anything, is what an amazing teacher and communicator is,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said in 2019. “He’s probably the best – I would say he is the best direct teacher. , a communicator that I saw coaching individual football, not only because he coaches him so well, but because he is so relentless and coaches important things. “
“You can be tireless, but if you train things that don’t matter, then it’s just a lot of hot air. He trains things that matter and you see guys getting better every day in his position group.”
McNair knew he wanted his general manager to take over in search of coaches. This is Caserio, who said that the feature he most sought in a head coach was the ability to “lead people.”
“Because, after all, football is a sport, but it’s about people, isn’t it?” Caserio said. “You have to make an investment in people. You have to be able to lead people. … These are some of the things that will be important about whether or not I’m a good player on their respective side of the ball. But whoever it is will have a certain competence in a certain field. “
What’s next in Houston?
Watson got the best numbers of his young career in 2020, and the team won only four games. Houston’s defense fought back, finishing 30th in Football Outsiders’ weighted DVOA. Of course, there are still a lot of holes on a defense that didn’t have young decision makers, so anyone hiring Culley as a defensive coordinator will have a high task ahead of them.
Whether the Texans change Watson, those holes on the list will remain. The Texans ’first choice in this sketch is number 67, so they won’t be able to add impact talent at a team-friendly price and are currently $ 18 million above the projected salary cap for 2021 (although that matters less than the money) s -they have already hired, which gives them some flexibility).
If Houston trades Watson, he will be able to put pieces in defense and significantly improve that part of the ball, but then the questions will remain with the defender.