“Black Monday” around the NFL apparently has not yet extended to Houston Texans head coach David Culley.
Wrapping up a four-win campaign in his first season as the Texans’ head coach, Culley took part in Monday’s day-after press conference. That’s normally a tell that a head coach’s job is safe for the time being.
In talking to the media, Culley gave no indication that he’s about to be fired.
“As far as I know, I’m the head coach of the Texans right now and I’m moving forward with that,” David Culley told reporters.
There were reports ahead of Sunday’s season finale against the Tennessee Titans that Culley could be one-and-done as the Texans’ head coach. While Monday’s press conference suggests nothing is imminent on this front, we wouldn’t read a whole lot into it. Culley also told reproters that there’s no meeting scheduled with owner Cal McNair or general manager Nick Caserio as of yet.
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Does David Culley deserve another season with the Houston Texans?
The short-form answer to this would be a resounding yes. Culley took over a shinking ship following the firing of then head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien.
He was then thrown into another drama-filled situation surrounding quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Pro Bowler requested a trade early last offseason, only to be accused of sexual misconduct by north of 20 women. Watson did not play a snap this season with Culley being forced to rely on raw rookie mid-round pick Davis Mills under center.
Despite this, the Texans were much more competitive than most people figured they’d be at the start of the season. That included surprising wins over the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers. Houston also came back from down 21-0 against the Titans in Week 18 to make it a game — losing by the score of 28-25.
There’s no telling at this point whether David Culley is the long-term solution in Houston. Prior to being hired ahead of last season, he had no experience as even a coordinator or play-caller at the NFL level.
What we do know is that the 2021 season didn’t provide him with much of an opportunity to prove himself.
For the Texans, there’s been rumors of interest in New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. He worked with Nick Caserio for years in New England. At least right now, nothing seems to be imminent on that front.
