The Houston Texans are in the middle of their third coaching search in three years, and players are well-invested in the candidate who will take the helm following Lovie Smith's jettison.
Veteran defensive lineman Jerry Hughes said in an interview with KPRC that he and his teammates have held several conversations about each candidate in the team's group chat.
"Everyone is just excited to see who is going to be the new head coach and what direction we’re going to head,” Hughes said. "We’re ball players. We’re going to talk about their resume, how cool it would be, and who we want."
Following Sunday's interview with New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, the Texans have met with eight candidates.
San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans may be the frontrunner, given that a source told Texans Daily that Houston's interview with Ryans was "lengthy and very positive" Friday evening.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is also in consideration as a favorite. Houston has also interviewed Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who recently withdrew his name from the pool.
In his first season with the Texans, Hughes recorded 35 tackles, 10 quarterback hits, a team-best 9.0 sacks and a pair of fumbles in 17 games.
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