HOUSTON – The Houston Texans have hired Baltimore Ravens assistant coach David Culley to be their next head coach, sources told ESPN, a Houston Chronicle report confirmed.
Culley, 65, who has spent the last two seasons in Baltimore, has just finished his 27th season as NFL coach. Along with the role of assistant to the team’s head coach, Culley was the coordinator of Baltimore’s passing game and the wide reception coach. The Ravens have just finished the 2020 NFL season.
“It’s a great opportunity there,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said of the Texans’ opening in the week leading up to Baltimore’s divisional playoff game. “They have a damn organization. I think David Culley would be a great hire for any team; maybe especially the Texans with Deshaun Watson.”
The Ravens now receive two compensatory selections in the third round (one in 2021 and another in 2022) for Culley hired from their staff. This comes from a resolution passed in November that is intended to encourage NFL teams to develop and hire minority candidates for head coach and general manager positions.
Culley has never been an NFL offensive coordinator. He was also the assistant head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs between 2013-16 and spent the 2017 and ’18 seasons as the Buffalo Bills quarterbacks coach. When Ravens hired Culley in 2019, Harbaugh said the coach is 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 to open for both positions. The Texans hired Nick Caserio as their new general manager earlier this month and gave him the reins of their search for head coach.
Along 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 Texan defender Josh McCown , after Caserio took over. The Texans also interviewed Brandon Staley before he was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Against the background of the Texans’ coaching search, sources told ESPN that Watson is not satisfied with the process that the organization hired Caserio. And sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that no matter who the Texans hired as their next head coach, Watson’s desire to be traded was not expected to change.
The Texans come from a 4-12 season, one in which Watson played the best football of his NFL career. The fourth-year quarterback set career highs in touchdowns, yards and completion percentage. He also threw seven interceptions in his career.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.