The Houston Texans are searching for their fourth new head coach in as many years, and they may revisit some of the candidates they interviewed the last time the job was open.
Lovie Smith was fired on Sunday just hours after he cost the Texans the top overall pick in the draft by winning his final game. Prior to Houston’s 31-30 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans would be top candidates for the Texans job if it became available.
The job is officially available, so Ryans and Gannon will likely be on the shortlist. Gannon was considered a finalist last year before Smith was promoted.
The Niners and Eagles rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the NFL in total defense. San Francisco allowed just 300.6 yards per game during the regular season while Philly gave up 301.5. The 49ers also ranked first in the league in scoring defense with 16.3 points per game allowed. The Eagles allowed 20.2 points per game, which was tied for seventh.
Ryans has deep ties to the Texans organization, as he was a star linebacker for the team from 2006-2011.
You can understand why Ryans and Gannon will be considered top head coaching candidates, but they are likely to draw plenty of interest outside of Houston as well.
The Texans will almost certainly select a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick, so they will likely also take a close look at some candidates with backgrounds in offense.
More must-reads: