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Texans Rumors: Former Dolphins HC Brian Flores Interviewing to Replace David Culley
January 31, 2022
The Houston Texans are interviewing former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores as part of their coaching search, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Pelissero reported Flores has already spoken with the Texans "multiple times," and he has experience working with Houston general manager Nick Caserio from their time together with the New England Patriots.
Many were surprised when the Dolphins fired Flores. While they missed the playoffs for the third straight year under his watch, they posted a winning record (9-8) for the second successive season.
With the Texans moving on from David Culley, the 40-year-old became an obvious candidate for that post. Beyond a respectable 24-25 record in Miami, he already has a rapport with disgruntled Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Ian O'Connor @Ian_OConnorThe <a href="https://twitter.com/Schultz_Report?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Schultz_Report</a> story connecting Flores to Deshaun Watson is true-they definitely want to work together. Flores won 19 games last 2 years w/o top QB & got fired, so he's done trying it that way. Houston makes most sense. Personally, I don't see Mara's Giants going for Watson
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Flores is also interviewing for the New Orleans Saints' vacancy, which unexpectedly became available with the departure of Sean Payton.
Over the past year and change, the Texans have largely made headlines for the wrong reasons.
Watson remains the subject of 22 civil lawsuits and 10 criminal complaints filed by women alleging sexual assault and misconduct. He will be deposed in February at the earliest.
Prior to those allegations coming to light, his standoff with the team exposed the internal dysfunction in Houston. Caserio's arrival has done little to quell the concerns about the Texans' long-term outlook.
By finishing 4-13, Houston arguably performed better than expected given how much Watson's absence torpedoed any chance of posting a winning record. Because of that, Culley's ouster was met with some surprise.
Even more perplexing, Josh McCown received a second interview with the Texans as a coaching candidate, per Pelissero and Mike Garafolo. The 42-year-old former quarterback has no coaching experience at the NFL level, so hiring him would be a big gamble.
Should Houston ultimately select Flores, the fanbase might feel a little better about the organization's direction in 2022.