Bill O'Brien Reportedly Expected to Return as Texans Head Coach in 2018

The Houston Texans are expected to retain head coach Bill O'Brien for the 2018 season, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Coming off a pair of 9-7 seasons that included AFC South titles, the Texans stumbled their way through 2017 after medical maladies tarnished what once appeared to be a promising campaign.

By midseason, defensive end J.J. Watt (leg), outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus (pectoral) and quarterback Deshaun Watson (torn ACL) had all been ruled out for the remainder of the year.

As a result, O'Brien had a hard time fielding a team that could contend with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans atop the division as the Texans' dreams of a third straight AFC South crown faded fast.

They enter Week 17 at 4-11.

Ultimately, though, those injuries provided O'Brien with a bit of cover and will likely allow him to maintain a grasp on the head coaching job for at least one more season. 

It also didn't hurt that Watson campaigned for O'Brien to stay on as the Texans' record plummeted down the stretch: 

However, O'Brien's margin for error figures to be slim.

Once Watson, Watt and Co. are all back at full strength, O'Brien will have no excuses. He will be under pressure to throttle the Texans back into the playoffs and help the franchise experience the kind of extended postseason run that's proved elusive over the past decade-plus.

If he can't, a pink slip could be in play a year from now.