David Culley will leave role as assistant head coach with the Ravens to become the Texans' new head coach; 65-year-old has never held the position before; first task will be persuading unhappy franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson to stay in Houston
Thursday 28 January 2021 07:14, UK
The Houston Texans have settled on Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach David Culley as their new head coach.
The news was reported by multiple outlets in the US on Wednesday night. Culley, who is also the Ravens' wide receivers coach, is 65 years old and has never held a head coaching position.
Houston and Baltimore are negotiating for Culley to leave the Ravens, according to NFL Network, and their insider Ian Rapoport said on Twitter that the hiring will take place.
The focus had narrowed this week to Culley and Buffalo assistant head coach Leslie Frazier, whom the Texans brought in for an interview on Tuesday, while Culley was interviewed on Wednesday.
Speculation on Culley heated up when he did not leave Houston right away. The Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson tweeted that Culley was "remaining in Houston overnight for additional meetings".
The Texans' decision on a head coach has come under extra focus because franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson has made known his unhappiness regarding player and front office moves in the last few seasons.
Examples include the trade of star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins after the 2019 season and the hiring of general manager Nick Caserio this month without Watson being offered input.
Watson said he was promised that he would be involved in the general manager search and had even offered suggestions for hires at the position. Some reports have indicated that the 25-year-old might now want out of Houston.
Culley will join the Miami Dolphins' Brian Flores and the Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin as the only Black head coaches in the league.
The Texans went 4-12 this season, with an 0-4 start costing head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien his job in early October. They had gone a combined 21-11 over the two previous seasons, including back-to-back postseason appearances.
Culley has spent the last two seasons with the Ravens, and his resume includes stops with Buffalo (two seasons), the Kansas City Chiefs (four seasons), the Philadelphia Eagles (14 seasons), the Steelers (three seasons) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (two seasons).
