The Houston Texans coaching search took an abrupt turn Sunday night with a report that Josh McCown – someone many thought was a leading candidate to be the franchise’s next head coach – is out of the running and multiple reports that defensive coordinator Lovie Smith is now a serious candidate.
Smith was previously an NFL head coach with the Chicago Bears (2004-12) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014-15). With the Bears, Smith went 81-63 with three playoffs appearances, including a march to Super Bowl XLI where Chicago lost to the Indianapolis Colts. He joined David Culley’s Texans staff in March last year after being fired following a five-year stint as head coach at the University of Illinois.
With the news that the Miami Dolphins have found their next head coach, that means there are only two NFL coaching openings remaining out of nine. Of all the coaches hired during this cycle, only one head coach before that would be Dough Peterson by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Advertisement
After Brian Flores dropped a bombshell lawsuit last week on the NFL, this would be the best opportunity for a team to take a chance on a proven black head coach again.