Predicting NFL head coach hires: Who will lead top 2021 NFL Draft picks?

Well, let’s see if the Houston Texans can screw this up too. That seems to be the attitude, at least, throughout the NFL world lately. From horrible trades to upset veterans, this organization has been nothing short of in shambles this past year.

After being a frequent flyer in the playoffs in seasons past, this year the Houston plane came crashing down, earning the Texans the third-worst record in the league and leading to the midseason firing of former head coach and GM/not “GM” Bill O’Brien.

The worst part of it all for the Houston Texans is that even after finishing with such an abysmal record, they will not be drafting at the top of the 2021 NFL Draft. They gave that right away when they agreed to trade their 2021 NFL Draft first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in a deal for left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Now the Texans sit here without a first-round pick, without a head coach and with an angry quarterback.

It’s been no secret that guys like J.J. Watt and Deshaun Watson haven’t been happy with the way that things have been going. Watt seemed to question the effort of his team while Watson seemed to be disrespected by having his opinions ignored by the front office when it came to GM and head coach interview suggestions.

When the team fired O’Brien, they turned to savvy veteran, Romeo Crennel, to lead the team. In a similar fashion, I have a feeling that Houston will turn to a veteran NFL head coach to help lead this team through the dark times ahead.

The Texans have interviewed Leslie Frazier, Marvin Lewis and Jim Caldwell, who all have some head coaching experience in the NFL. Throughout his career, Caldwell seemed to have the most success in multiple different spots, leading the Texans to believe that he can replicate that in Houston.

This year, many people acknowledged, retroactively, how great of a job Caldwell did during his stints with the Colts and the Lions. Many believe he should have never been fired. For his career as an NFL head coach, Caldwell is 62-50 with 14 of those losses coming in one season in Indy without quarterback Peyton Manning (netting the franchise Andrew Luck). He has made four playoff appearances in seven seasons, making the Super Bowl in his first season as a head coach and never finishing last in the NFC North when he was with the Lions.

Caldwell may not be the flashy pick for head coach, but he has been there and done that, so nothing should phase him. As long as he is healthy, Jim Caldwell would be a solid choice to help out Deshaun Watson (if he sticks around) and the rest of the Texans squad through this inevitable rebuild.

My pick: Eric Bieniemy, Offensive Coordinator

Who is the best player on the Houston Texans right now? Deshaun Watson? So they should probably do whatever they can to keep him around, right? Especially without their 2021 NFL Draft first-round pick. Watson has allegedly voiced his desire to have Chiefs offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy, at least get a chance to become his next head coach.

If that’s what he wants? Grant it. And don’t wait until you get a ton of backlash from the media for waiting so long. Bieniemy has a ton of support around the league and should have a great time calling offensive plays around a guy like Watson. Bieniemy should also be helpful for a guy like David Johnson, as a former running back and running backs coach, who needs to continue to prove that it wasn’t a complete joke to trade DeAndre Hopkins for him.