Uncertainty of Texans QB Deshaun Watson clouds hiring of coach David Culley

The Houston Texans extended an offer to Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach and receivers coach David Culley, and he accepted.

The hiring ends a long interviewing process hosted by chairman and CEO Cal McNair, executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby, and newly hired general manager Nick Caserio.

The Culley hire has triggered an explosion of reactions from the Houston fan base. The immediate reactions towards Culley is one of being “whelmed.” Let me explain the word choice.

This is no slight towards the 65-year-old Culley, but rather more towards an overwhelming sentiment that another candidate was wanted. Most of the fan base was clamoring for Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy or another offensive guru to try to convince quarterback Deshaun Watson to stay and build a team that could compete with the Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes supernova. Instead, fans are left with a candidate that took over three decades in the NFL to secure his first head coaching gig.

This isn’t the overqualified Bieniemy nor a young offensive star like Joe Brady. The Texans have rather made a very outside the box hire — not a sexy one to say the least. Rather, the Texans hire an assistant with an incredible lifetime resume and a bevy of endorsements from previous employers, players and peers.

Culley is by no means a poor candidate for the job; he simply isn’t the most exciting. Not overwhelming like Bieniemy, not an underwhelming retread like Leslie Frazier — ‘whelmed’ seems adequate.

The next sentiment amongst fans is, truly, confusion. How did Culley land the job despite massive speculation as recently as Sunday that the job was between Frazier and Bieniemy? What do fans make of the re-signing of Tim Kelly as offensive coordinator? Kelly had the support of Deshaun Watson to be part of the 2021 staff, so is this an indication that No. 4 may be staying put in Houston? Kelly is a fine addition to the staff, having piloted the NFL’s leading passing offense with Watson a year earlier.

Or, rather, is this hiring a sign that the team is ready to transition to a post-Watson world?

Houston fans certainly want the best for Culley and this hire. They want to see Culley succeed, Watson stay, and ultimately watch the Texans win a Super Bowl. However, during what has already been a tumultuous offseason, this hiring does not inspire confidence. Rather than roll with one of the top candidates, the Texans have seemingly found another fit for Easterby’s “culture.”

This could possibly work out for Houston and this writer certainly hopes it does. In the meantime, buckle in, because things could get a lot uglier before Houston sees a silver lining. A public statement from Watson could go a long way towards determining what kind of light will shine on this hire.

Until that happens, Houston will watch anxiously to see what kind of moves Houston makes from here. The staff he assembles and reconstruction of the 4-12 roster will play a big part in how Culley succeeds in his first season as a head coach. With Watson still on the roster, this writer remains optimistic for now.

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Projecting the coaching staff if the Texans hire Ravens WR coach David Culley