Bill O'Brien Could Ruin Deshaun Watson and Texans' Future If Things Don't Change

As Houston Texans head coach, Bill O'Brien has been competent.

As their general manager, he's been anything but.

For some unknown reason, Texans ownership progressively provided its coach with more power over the past year before finally giving O'Brien the official title of general manager after firing Brian Gaine last summer. The collision between an unprepared team during an unprecedented offseason and a year of mishandling the roster came to a head during an embarrassing 34-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2020 season opener on Thursday Night Football. 

Normally, there is a balance of power to alleviate the pressure of conducting both grueling tasks, and a synergy is expected to develop between the two primary decision-makers within an organization. The New England Patriots' Bill Belichick, O'Brien's mentor, is a unicorn. His ability to meld both roles so flawlessly is certainly the exception to the rule. 

But to the team's dismay, the Texans talked themselves into giving O'Brien a similar power dynamic. 

That was a swing and a miss, much like the Texans' tackling throughout Thursday's loss. 

The issue isn't with how the team is coached, though that can be questioned after such a poor effort. The much bigger concerns are about the squad's construction and how it can adversely affect star quarterback Deshaun Watson and the franchise's long-term capabilities of competing in the AFC South. 

As a coach, O'Brien has been rather good, relatively speaking. Plenty of other organizations around the league would love to win four division titles in five years. The Texans won two playoff games in that stretch as well. 

But he appears overwhelmed as a general manager. 

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Before going any further with specifics regarding obvious missteps in personnel, O'Brien's own words damned him before the team ever took the field. 

"I think that this year with the unique position that we're in, I truly believe that this is a veteran type of year," Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien told reporters in April. "I think it's going to be really difficult for rookies without offseason practicing on the field and being able to do all the things that you do during that five-week stretch after the draft and then training camp."

Continuity is arguably more important this season than usual, as O'Brien implied.  

But if that's the case, it made no sense trading four-time Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins, who can make the case he's the league's best wide receiver, and letting defensive tackle D.J. Reader leave in free agency. 

The former definitely affected Watson's effectiveness against a Chiefs defense that featured a depleted secondary without suspended cornerback Bashaud Breeland.  

Supposedly, the argument in favor of the Texans moving Hopkins is based on fiscal responsibility, especially since the Texans planned to extend their franchise quarterback—which they did Saturday to the tune of four years and $156 million. Hopkins received a pretty penny from his new squad, the Arizona Cardinals, with a two-year, $54.5 million contract extension. 

Houston couldn't feasibly do both deals, right? Wrong. Take into account what the Texans got in return and how they attempted to replace Hopkins. 

Even if the veteran receiver maximizes his earning power and actually costs the Cardinals $27.4 million through the second and third seasons of his new deal, Houston has a combined salary-cap hit of $25.3 million for David Johnson, who came back in the Hopkins trade, and wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb, who were acquired this offseason. The aforementioned number grows to $31.6 million in 2021 and dips to 23.3 million in 2022 since Johnson will no longer be under contract. 

It wasn't just that the Texans got a poor return on the Hopkins trade; it's that they tried to fix a problem they created by throwing more money at it than they had to spend. 

Watson, meanwhile, lost his security blanket, and it definitely showed. Hopkins was targeted 162.3 times per season during their three years together. 

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Where were Cooks and Cobb? They combined to make four receptions for 43 yards in their Texans debut. Who did Watson target the most? Will Fuller V caught eight passes for 112 yards. Why? Because Fuller and Watson have played together since 2017. 

To make matters worse, the Texans offensive front, specifically right tackle Tytus Howard, struggled to protect Watson. This issue extends back 17 months as the balance of power within the organization shifted from Gaine to O'Brien. Houston chose Howard with the 23rd overall pick in the 2019 draft. Yet the second-year blocker from Alabama State looked completely outclassed by Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark. If rapid improvement isn't made this season, O'Brien-backed choices will take another hit, while the Texans will be forced to find another solution. 

And when the Chiefs were on offense, they easily controlled the point of attack. Yes, the Texans wanted to re-sign D.J. Reader this offseason before the nose tackle agreed to a four-year, $53 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Again, prioritization comes into question. Take out those contracts mentioned earlier and the Texans could have afforded both Hopkins and Reader with some finagling, as well-run organizations tend to do. 

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Instead, rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire torched Houston's run defense with 138 yards and an average of 5.5 yards per carry in his first NFL action. If they tackle as poorly as they did in the opener, the Texans will have no chance of containing Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens' overwhelming rushing attack in Week 2.

The Texans won't be the only team to get blown out in Week 1, and they certainly won't be the only team the Chiefs plaster. They'll likely look much better after the schedule eases up in October. 

With that said, their roster concerns aren't going away. Watson must have a target fill Hopkins' shoes. The quarterback must be protected. The defense can't be manhandled at the line of scrimmage.

Otherwise, the success O'Brien and Watson had will be forgotten, and O'Brien's poor choices as Houston's primary decision-maker will lead to the team's downfall.  

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.