Texans Hire New Coach; Watson Asks to be Traded

In 2019, the Houston Texans fostered one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. Led by star young quarterback Deshaun Watson, arguably the best wide-receiver in the NFL in DeAndre Hopkins and 3x Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt, the Texans were a force to be reckoned with.

The abundance of talent helped lead the team to clinch the AFC South division with an 11-5 record. In addition, Houston made an appearance in an AFC Divisional Playoff matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Though the Texans lost the highly-anticipated matchup against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, the future looked bright in Houston.

A Questionable Trade Changed Everything

Just a few short months later, in a trade that absolutely shocked the sports world, the Texans traded arguably their best player in Hopkins, to the Arizona Cardinals. This trade would be the first tragedy in a series of unfortunate events. The Texans would go on to lose their first four games to the 2020 football season, which resulted in the midseason firing of head coach Bill O’Brien. In addition, the Texans would go on to finish the season with a 4-12 record, and finish 3^rd in the AFC South.

When Things Go From Bad to Worse

While missing the playoffs was certainly a disappointing result, that would turn out to be the least of the Texan’s worries. The Texans finished the season without a long-term solution at head coach, and a disgruntled franchise quarterback. Though many in the Texans organization believed the relationship with Watson could be repaired, the damage proved too significant to be overcome. Earlier today, Watson officially requested a trade from the organization. The Texans drafted him with the 12^th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Though the Texans future at the quarterback position is unknown, the organization has selected its next head coach to help turnaround the franchise. The Texans hired David Culley to be the next head coach of the Houston Texans. Culley spent the 2020 NFL season working as the assistant head coach, wide receivers coach, and passing game coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. NFL Insider for ESPN, Adam Schefter, shared his thoughts about the Culley hiring.

The Houston Texans new hire at head coach, does not change the current disfunction of the franchise. The Texans will look to get a significant return for their star quarterback Deshaun Watson. Will the the organization be able to change the narrative, and return to winning form? Or, will the Texans continue on this dark losing path to no return? Only time will tell.