This is always the fear with a defensive head coach.
They can be brilliant schematically, consistently finding the best ways to deploy defensive personnel and neutralize opposing offenses. They can be phenomenal leaders of men, finding great talent on the roster and great coaches across the league to join their staff. However, they’ll never be the ones tasked with working in tandem with their franchise quarterbacks to score points.
It’s a reality that has caused many pundits to call for offensive hires when positions open in the NFL. It’s also a reality that, as DeMeco Ryans and his Houston Texans team sore to new heights, may cause Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud to be victims of their own success.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is in hot demand around the league.
Slowik, just 36 years old, has thrived as a first-time playcaller on Ryans’ staff and played an integral role in the success and development of Stroud as potentially the greatest rookie quarterback of all time. Houston ranked fifth in passing yards, 12th in total yards per game, and 14th in points per game this past year.
It’s no surprise that the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders, Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers have requested to interview the young offensive mind.
I knew that Dalton Schultz touchdown yesterday felt familiar. pic.twitter.com/TT6c3wNqwa
— Robert Mays (@robertmays) January 14, 2024
Slowik, having worked under Kyle Shanahan the previous three seasons, brought with him the Shanahan-Kubiak offense that has dominated the league and found similar success as many of his peers. The offense’s consistent commitment to the run set up excellent play-action looks, deep shots and worked to protect his quarterback.
Notably, Slowik was able to shape the system around Stroud, working to emphasize protection concepts despite a litany of offensive line injuries and letting his ball placement specialist work every area of the field. It was a big reason that receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell were able to explode during the year.
Lots of talk this past week about how Nico Collins would fair against vaunted Cleveland CB Denzel Ward.
Bobby Slowik and the staff just decided to eliminate that from the equation.
Nico Collins only lined up against Ward on 20% of his pass snaps on Saturday per NGS #WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/R4QuARTE99
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) January 14, 2024
The only reason to this point there may not have been as much noise around Slowik was the play-calling. An overcommitment at times to the run limited the ability of Stroud’s immense talent to impact the game.
That was, until they decided to blow out the Cleveland Browns and the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense in a 45-14 dismantling.
The Texans’ offensive performance in the AFC wild-card round was a masterpiece and arguably no one was more responsible than Slowik. Receivers were constantly open around the field. Nico Collins was dominant vertically, John Metchie had some big moments, and Dalton Schultz had a beautiful touchdown as the defense overcommitted to crossing routes in the other direction.
It was a ridiculous 356 yards of net offense on just 44 plays.
The protection schemes were beautiful. Laremy Tunsil shut down Defensive Player of the Year candidate Myles Garrett and, generally, Stroud had all day to throw in the pocket and wait for receivers to progress through their routes.
Even tight end Brevin Jordan, once considered unlikely to make the team, made an impact. His 76-yard-touchdown was the longest offensive play of Houston’s season and the latest in a long line of examples of Slowik putting his offensive players in a strong position to succeed.
The evolution of Brevin Jordan from fringe of the roster to valuable offensive player has been so fun to see.
His athleticism on full display here on a great play design #WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/WR1Up3atVx
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) January 13, 2024
“Bobby did a great job today, like he always does. His job is to call the plays. When he call, we ball. He knew to mix it up a little bit. We wanted to throw the ball early just to set the tone that we were going to not shy away from
anything.” Ryans said of his offensive coordinator after the 45-point explosion. “We’re a very explosive team. We showed we can run the ball today too, which is great. I think this is the best that we’ve played so far. We played four quarters of football this week, and that’s what you want to do towards the back end. So, Bobby did a great job, our O-line, our tight ends, running backs, our receivers, our defense, scoring points. We talk about that all the time. It’s really cool to see it come to fruition.”
Everything is clicking offensively for the Texans at just the right time as they try to turn their momentum into a potential Super Bowl run. For Slowik, it’s timing up perfectly that multiple NFL owners are seeing his talents against premier competition.
It’s a competitive coaching cycle. Notably, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald, and former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel loom large as potential All-Star hires for NFL franchises.
However, Slowik’s mold will likely make him uniquely coveted by some teams. For anyone that wants a young, offensive-minded head coach to pair with their quarterback, he and Johnson represent the best two options on the market by far.
There’s fair reason to believe for the Carolina Panthers and Bryce Young, the Washington Commanders and their future No. 2 pick, and even the Tennesee Titans with Will Levis, Slowik will be strongly pursued. He’s already shown an ability to place supportive and protective infrastructure around a young quarterback and those teams will desperately need it as they attempt to elevate, or salvage, their young quarterback prospects.
It’s far from a guarantee that Slowik leaves. Last week, Coach Ryans encouraged Slowik to “be selective” about the teams he seriously considers and the opportunity he’ll eventually leap to. Many coaches only have one opportunity to lead the operation at that level and he’ll want to make sure it’s the perfect one.
Stroud’s ascent and Ryans’ budding defense make it an easy situation to potentially sign on for a second season. Factor in that general manager Nick Caserio will have over $70 million in cap space to bolster the roster and there’s an argument Slowik could help pilot the best offense in football next season.
Until that assurance, however, Ryans and Houston fans alike sit with the reality of a defensive head coach.
Their quarterback appears more than talented enough to overcome the loss of Slowik, especially with quarterback coach Jerrod Johnson waiting in the wings. However, it’s not an ideal scenario for any team.
It’s a special position that Houston’s coaching staff is already being vultured to this degree. In the meantime, the Texans will try to win games with that advantage before dealing with the downstream repercussions.
