Texans Rumors: David Culley, Leslie Frazier to Interview for HC Opening

Deciding what to do with quarterback Deshaun Watson is not the only concern facing the Houston Texans this offseason. 

They also need to hire a new head coach, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday they will interview Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach and wide receivers coach David Culley for the job. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also reported the team will also interview Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.

Rapoport noted Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has praised Culley and said he is ready to become a head coach.

Houston fired head coach Bill O'Brien following an 0-4 start to the 2020 campaign. Romeo Crennel served as the interim head coach as the team finished a 4-12 season.

It was quite the drop-off after the Texans won the AFC South in each of the last two seasons in large part because of Watson's individual brilliance. The three-time Pro Bowler was excellent again in 2020 and completed 70.2 percent of his passes for 4,823 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and his presence would be the most attractive part of the job under normal circumstances for a prospective head coach like Culley.

Except it is anything but normal circumstances for the Texans.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Watson is "furious" with owner Cal McNair's decision to go against recommendations from a search firm suggesting the team hire Pittsburgh Steelers vice president of football and business administration Omar Khan or ESPN analyst Louis Riddick as the general manager.

Houston hired New England Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio, and Schefter noted: "Watson had been assured by McNair that he would be involved in the process to hire a new coach and general manager and kept in the loop on the progress in those searches, but that didn't happen."

Culley and Frazier each have plenty of experience at the NFL level as Houston attempts to salvage its offseason and potentially the situation with Watson.

He has been an NFL coach in some capacity for 27 seasons and has worked for the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Ravens while working on a number of offenses.

Culley is an offensive-minded coach who could help take Watson to the next level as his prime continues. But that's only if Watson is still in Houston next season.

Frazier, meanwhile, is a defensive-minded coach who has prior head-coaching experience. He was the Minnesota Vikings head coach for three-plus seasons from 2010-13, going 21-32-1 while reaching the postseason once.

The 61-year-old Frazier has spent more than two decades coaching in the NFL in some capacity, holding the role of defensive coordinator for four franchises. He has been with Buffalo since 2017.