Texans Rumors: Lions' Ben Johnson, Broncos' Ejiro Evero Among HC Candidates

The Houston Texans reportedly plan to cast a wide net in their search for a new head coach after firing Lovie Smith on Sunday night following just one season.

Per the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Texans have requested to interview Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network added that Houston requested interviews with San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, Denver Broncos' defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.

Since last making the playoffs in 2019, the Texans have cycled through four different head coaches. Bill O'Brien was fired in 2020, four games into his seventh season, and replaced by Romeo Crennel on an interim basis. He went 4-8 and wasn't retained.

The Texans then hired David Culley, who lasted all of one season after going 4-13, though he was also asked to weather the storm of the Deshaun Watson legal situation.

He was replaced by Smith, who was canned after a 3-13-1 campaign.

While the Texans have burned through coaches, the quarterback carousel has been equally intense. In the past two seasons alone, Davis Mills, Tyrod Taylor, Kyle Allen and Jeff Driskel have all seen the field.

With the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Texans should remedy that situation. Pairing the right head coach with the right young quarterback will be key to those rebuilding efforts, however.

Johnson, 36, was a first-time NFL offensive coordinator in 2022. Under his watch the Lions finished fourth in yardage and fifth in points, an excellent debut for the young coach.

The other offensive coordinator from the team's early list of potential candidates is the 37-year-old Steichen, who has spent the past two years as Philly's offensive coordinator and also held the role for the Los Angeles Rams in 2020. His offenses have finished top-10 in yardage twice and top-10 in points once.

Ryans, 38, has spent the past two years as San Francisco's defensive coordinator. His units have finished top-three in yardage allowed in both seasons and top-10 in points allowed in each season, finishing atop the NFL in that mark this year.

The interest reportedly isn't mutual, however:

Evero, 42, was a first-time defensive coordinator for the Broncos this season, and the defense was the team's bright spot, finishing seventh in yardage allowed and 14th in points sacrificed.

Finally, the 39-year-old Gannon has spent the past two years as the Eagles' defensive coordinator, leading the team to consecutive top-10 seasons in yardage allowed while finishing eighth in points sacrificed this season.