HOUSTON – The Houston Texans have hired Baltimore Ravens assistant David Culley to be their next head coach, sources told ESPN, confirming a report from the Houston Chronicle.
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 assistant head coach, Culley was Baltimore’s passing match coordinator and wide receiver coach. The Ravens closed the 2020 season as last in the NFL.
“It’s a great opportunity there,” said head coach John Harbaugh van Ravens of the Texans opening the week leading up to the Baltimore playoff game. “They have a great organization. I really believe David Culley would be a great asset to any team; maybe, especially, the Texans with Deshaun Watson.”
The Ravens will now receive two compensatory picks in the third round (one in 2021 and one in 2022) for Culley who will be hired by their staff. This comes from a resolution passed in November that aims to incentivize NFL teams to develop and hire minority candidates for head coaching and general manager positions.
Culley has never been an offensive coordinator at the NFL level. He was also an assistant head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2013-16, and spent the 2017 and ’18 seasons as the Buffalo Bills quarterbacks coach. When the Ravens hired Culley in 2019, Harbaugh said the coach was 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 with an opening for both positions. The Texans hired Nick Caserio as their new general manager earlier this month and put him in control for their quest for head coaching.
Along with Culley, Houston interviewed Bill’s defense coordinator Leslie Frazier, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, former Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell, Colts defense 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’ quest for coaching, sources told ESPN that Watson was unhappy with the process the organization used to hire 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 are from a 4-12 season, one in which Watson played some of the best football of his NFL career. The fourth-year quarterback set career highs in touchdowns, passing yards, and completion percentage. He also threw a career-low seven interceptions.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.