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Texans Rumors: Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon to Have 2nd Interview amid Josh McCown Buzz
January 29, 2022
The Houston Texans are reportedly set to hold a second interview with Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon on Saturday about their head coaching vacancy.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported Gannon becomes the second person to speak with the Texans twice. He joins former quarterback Josh McCown, who John McClain of the Houston Chronicle described as the "favorite," with a potential announcement next week.
Houston decided to fire head coach David Culley after just one season following a 4-13 campaign.
The quick hook raised questions about whether the Texans would have a difficult time drumming up interest in the position, especially since the roster Culley was asked to lead didn't have enough high-end talent to seriously contend in 2021.
McCown previously interviewed for the Houston job last year before the front office settled on Culley. He spent his final season as a player with the Texans in 2020.
The 42-year-old Texas native has no coaching experience, but he spent 19 years as a player and said in November 2020 he "definitely" wanted to coach in the future:
"If you'd asked me that 10 years ago, I would've said no way, that's not what I want to do at this level. My dream coming out of college had I not been able to play in the NFL was to coach high school football here in Texas. The longer I've been in this game and been around these guys, I see real value in being able to be a part of an organization and compete at the highest level."
Meanwhile, Gannon has nearly two decades of experience on the sideline dating back to 2003, when he started working at his alma mater, the University of Louisville.
The 2021 season marked his first in a coordinator role. He guided the Eagles defense to a 10th-place finish in yards allowed, a sizable improvement from 2020 when they ranked 19th.
Philly head coach Nick Sirianni gave Gannon a vote of confidence when this year's coaching carousel began to spin earlier this month.
"I think he'd be a great head football coach in the NFL," Sirianni told reporters. "I just think he has all the intangibles, all the qualities that I think you need to be a good head football coach. Jonathan has those things."
It's unclear whether the Texans plan on bringing any other coaches back in during their second round of interviews.
Regardless of who's selected, general manager Nick Caserio has a lot of work to do in the months ahead to get the roster to a point where playoff contention is possible in 2022.