Texans to hire Ravens' David Culley as next head coach

Photo courtesy of Julio Cortez/Associated Press

The Houston Texans are planning to hire Baltimore Ravens' assistant coach David Culley as their next head coach, per multiple reports.

Culley (pronounced COOL-EE) is 65 years old, spending the last two seasons serving as Baltimore's passing game coordinator and wide receiver coach, in addition to being an assistant head coach. Culley has spent 27 years in the N.F.L. as a coach, with 16 of those years seen serving under Andy Reid in Philadelphia and Kansas City.

Culley will be the franchise's fourth head coach in team history, succeeding Bill O'Brien in a tumultuous last few years. Culley will also become the team's first Black head coach in history. It will be his first head coaching gig in the N.F.L.

Additionally, Culley's hire makes history--he now becomes the oldest first-time head coach league history.

Under Culley, the Ravens suffered as the league's worst passing attack, ranking dead last. However, there is reason to believe that is due to the Ravens' heavy run-first scheme under John Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson. In 2019, Harbaugh said that Culley was highly respected "as a teacher, game-planner and motivator."

Culley is expected to work alongside offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, who will be retained for the upcoming season. Culley will look to hire a new defensive coordinator with the departure of former D.C. Anthony Weaver. One name that might surface in the coming days is former Chicago Bears' head coach Lovie Smith, with whom Culley has close ties to.

The Texans' new head coach, alongside first-year general manager Nick Caserio, will certainly have their hands full. The two will attempt to reconstruct a roster that was woefully bad outside of a few key positions, navigate through what seems to be an internal power struggle centered around the team's culture coach, deal with the potential fallout of a disgruntled superstar in Deshaun Watson, and try to appease a fanbase that has suffered through every second of the aforementioned.

The Texans are coming off of a 4-12 season that saw Deshaun Watson shine, and the rest of the team largely falter. Houston does not have a first or second round draft pick in this year's upcoming draft.