HOUSTON – The Houston Texans have hired Baltimore Ravens assistant David Culley to be their next coach, sources told ESPN, confirming a Houston Chronicle report.
Culley, 65, who has spent the past two seasons in Baltimore, has just completed his 27th season as an NFL coach. In addition to serving as the team’s technical assistant, Culley was the coordinator of the passing game and coach of Baltimore’s wide receivers. The Ravens finished the 2020 season last in the NFL in passing.
“It’s a great opportunity there,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh of the Texans’ debut the week before the Baltimore division playoff game. “They have an incredible organization. I believe David Culley would be a great hire for any team; perhaps, especially, the Texans with Deshaun Watson.”
The Ravens now receive two compensatory choices from the third round (one in 2021 and one in 2022) for Culley being hired from their team. This comes from a resolution adopted in November that aims to encourage NFL teams to develop and hire minority candidates for positions of chief coach and general manager.
Culley was never an offensive coordinator at the NFL level. He was also an assistant chief coach for the 2013-16 Kansas City Chiefs, and spent the 2017 and 18 seasons as quarterback coach for Buffalo Bills. When the Ravens hired Culley in 2019, Harbaugh said the coach was highly respected “as a teacher, game planner and motivator”.
When the Texans dismissed coach and general manager Bill O’Brien in October, Houston became the first team with a vacancy for either position. The Texans hired Nick Caserio as their new general manager earlier this month and gave him the reins of his search for head coach.
Together 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 Texas quarterback , Josh McCown, after Caserio took over. The Texans also interviewed Brandon Staley before he was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Amid the Texans’ search for coaching, sources told ESPN that Watson was unhappy with the process the organization used to hire Caserio. And sources told Chris Mortensen of ESPN that, regardless of who the Texans hired as their next coach, Watson’s desire to be traded should not change.
The Texans are coming out of a 4-12 season, in which Watson played the best football of his career in the NFL. The fourth-year quarterback set career records for touchdowns, passing yards and completion percentage. He also launched seven career low interceptions.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.