The Houston Texans might try to hire Jim Caldwell this offseason.
The Houston Texans might’ve finally fired Bill O’Brien, but no clear candidate has emerged to replace him. While Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy and Seattle Seahawks play-caller Brian Schottenheimer have been mentioned as potential candidates for this job, Cal McNair wants someone with NFL experience to help get Deshaun Watson back into the playoffs. They may have found that in veteran coach Jim Caldwell, who wants to stake his claim to the Texans job.
The Texans confirmed that they interviewed Caldwell, who hasn’t coached in any capacity since leaving the Miami Dolphins in 2019 due to health problems, for their vacant head coach position.
Jim Caldwell is getting offers after what retroactively looks like a good job in Detroit
Following the retirement of Tony Dungy with the Indianapolis Colts, Caldwell, who was a former college coach at Wake Forest, was promoted to head coach in 2009. While he started off his time as Peyton Manning’s head coach with a 14-2 season and Super Bowl birth, he ended it going 2-14 as the franchise positioned themselves to get Andrew Luck.
Caldwell was rehired by the Detroit Lions in 2014, as he was tasked with making Matthew Stafford into a star. Arriving on one of the most notoriously poor franchises in the spot, Caldwell went 36-28, making the playoffs twice and recording only one losing season. Considering how bad Matt Patricia was in the three years following his firing, Caldwell’s Lions tenure has been retroactively graded a bit higher.
Given his championship experience, history of going into difficult situations and turning them around, and offensive background, he looks like the perfect coach to help lift Watson up.
Caldwell is 65 years old, and that defense needs a lot of work, but he could bring stability and schematic insight that has been hard to come by in Houston over the last few years. Caldwell has earned a chance to get back into coaching, and he could make the most of it in Houston.