The Texans spent multiple offseasons trying to lure Nick Caserio from the Patriots, and he is leading a lengthy rebuild process. At 1-10-1, Houston is the only team with fewer than three wins this season. Ownership may be losing faith in this attempted climb.
Despite the extensive interest that led Caserio to Houston, the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora notes the former Patriots exec is not on nearly as stable ground as he was previously. The prospect of Caserio making another HC (Lovie Smith) a one-and-done may be an issue for the longtime Bill Belichick right-hand man.
Caserio surprisingly fired David Culley after one season, and although Smith was not believed to be a finalist, the GM promoted him this offseason. While the Texans showed late progress under Culley, they have flatlined under Smith in recent weeks. The team has lost by at least two scores in each of its past three games. Should the Texans fire Smith, La Canfora adds several GMs around the league would not expect Caserio to have the opportunity to hire a third coach in three years.
The Texans fired the executive who helped bring Caserio from Foxborough to Houston (Jack Easterby). Caserio and Smith had frozen out the unpopular executive during his final stretch with the franchise. But the Texans are slogging through their third straight dreadful season.
Considering the shape the Texans were in when they fired coach/GM Bill O’Brien during the 2020 season, it was always assumed a rebuild would take time. While this is looking like one of the longer rebuild efforts in recent memory, Caserio is months removed from collecting a historic compensation package for a quarterback (Deshaun Watson) amid what turned out to be a near-two-year layoff. The Texans became only the second team to nab three first-round picks for a veteran quarterback, following the Patriots’ 1976 haul for Jim Plunkett, and the team made four first- or second-round picks in this year’s draft.
Watson had lobbied for a trade shortly after Caserio’s hire, and while the avalanche of sexual misconduct headlines dented the Pro Bowl QB’s trade value last year, the Texans stood pat by deactivating the former franchise centerpiece last season and relaunching the awkward sweepstakes in 2022.
The Texans did not have first- or second-round picks in Caserio’s initial draft, but they have two firsts in 2023 and ’24. Derek Stingley and Kenyon Green became the team’s first-rounders this year, and fourth-rounder Dameon Pierce has been one of the league’s top rookies this season. The second of Houston’s Round 2 picks — wideout John Metchie — is out for the season due to a leukemia battle. The Texans are in pole position for the No. 1 overall pick next year, where they will assuredly be linked to a quarterback. Their Mills-Kyle Allen setup does not seem likely to last beyond this season.
It would be interesting to see the Texans pull the plug and try another reboot. Both Caserio coaching searches did involve Josh McCown as a finalist, but the longtime quarterback’s lack of experience became a factor in each. This year’s interview process also included Brian Flores as a finalist, despite his lawsuit against the NFL and multiple teams (the Texans were subsequently added to that list), along with Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon. Caserio instead went with Smith, a third-chance coach who never seemed particularly likely to be with the team when it was ready to contend. The team’s struggles under Smith certainly appear to be affecting Caserio’s status.
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