The Houston Texans employ one of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL in Deshaun Watson, and inked the 25-year-old to a four-year extension prior to the start of the 2020 season. In theory, they should be one of the most attractive jobs in the NFL.
That said, after trading Watson's top target, DeAndre Hopkins, this past offseason, the Texans are off to an 0-4 start in 2020. Said start cost Bill O'Brien both of his jobs in the organization, as the team fired their head coach and lead front office executive Monday.
O'Brien does leave behind Watson, but also a pretty bleak immediate future. Not only are the Texans winless through the first quarter of the 2020 season, but because of the Hopkins and Laremy Tunsil trades, Houston isn't currently slated to have picks in the first, second and fourth rounds in the 2021 NFL Draft.
To make matters worse, the Texans aren't in a great cap situation. Per Over The Cap, Houston is slated to have just over $6 million in cap space next offseason.
Watson is enough to intrigue any coaching candidate, but as RADIO.COM Sports' Stephen Andress noted, it will likely take a contract with a ton of security to lure a top coaching candidate. Much of the organization needs to be overhauled.
Romeo Crennel will take over as the interim head coach, but here are five candidates to watch for the team to target this offseason:
Eric Bieniemy - Offensive Coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs
Eric Bieniemy is the offensive coordinator of the Chiefs.
(David Eulitt/Getty Images)
There was so much outrage that Bieniemy didn't get a head coaching job last offseason that the NFL considered a rule proposal that would improve the team's third-round pick if they hired a minority head coach. It feels like it's just a matter of where he gets a job this offseason, and independent of the lack of minority head coaches in the NFL, Bieniemy is more than qualified. A former NFL running back, Bieniemy has been on Andy Reid's staff in Kansas City since 2013. He's been the offensive coordinator since 2018, the season that Patrick Mahomes took over as starter. The only question about his candidacy is if the 51-year-old would want this job, when he figures to get interest from multiple teams.
Lincoln Riley - Head Coach, University of Oklahoma
Lincoln Riley is the head coach at Oklahoma.
(David Purdy/Getty Images)
It's always felt like a matter of time before Riley jumps to the NFL, and until he does, he's going to be linked to every opening. Oklahoma is off to an underwhelming 1-2 start in 2020, but they've made the College Football Playoffs in each of the last three seasons. Riley has gotten the best out of Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts at the college level, drastically improving the NFL stock of all three. Whether he would want this job or not is unclear, but the chance to work with Watson could intrigue the 37-year-old. It should also be noted that he's a Texas native.
Matt Eberflus - Defensive Coordinator, Indianapolis Colts
Matt Eberflus is the defensive coordinator for the Colts.
(Matt Kryger/IndyStar/USA Today)
Connor Orr of Sports Illustrated noted before the 2020 season that Eberflus "is a favorite in coaching circles," and the fact that the Colts have the No. 1 overall defense in the NFL through the first four weeks of the season certainly doesn't hurt his prospects. The Texans have the worst rush defense in the NFL through the first quarter of this season, so if they are unable to correct that as their schedule becomes more manageable, a defensive-minded head coach could be of interest.
Brian Daboll - Offensive Coordinator, Buffalo Bills
Brian Daboll is the Bills' offensive coordinator.
(Mark Konezny/USA Today)
While proximity to greatness isn't always the best way to determine whether someone will make a good coach on their own, Daboll has experience working under Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, arguably the two greatest coaches in the history of the sport. What's more intriguing than that, though, is that Josh Allen has developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL under his tutelage. The 45-year-old could build a pretty exciting offense with Deshaun Watson at quarterback.
Greg Roman - Offensive Coordinator, Baltimore Ravens
Greg Roman is the Ravens' offensive coordinator.
(Mark Konezny/USA Today)
Roman has built exciting offenses led by Colin Kaepernick and Lamar Jackson, two extremely talented but perhaps not prototypical quarterbacks. The Ravens may need to prove that they can come from behind and win games for Roman to get a head coaching job, but there's little doubt that he could have success with Watson.
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