Bill O’Brien‘s tenure as head coach and general manager of the Houston Texans is at an end.
The team fired O’Brien on Monday according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Dan Graziano. This comes one day after the Texans fell to the Minnesota Vikings by a 31-23 scoreline, dropping them to 0-4 on the season.
Texans fired HC and GM Bill O’Brien, per @DanGrazianoESPN and me.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 5, 2020
Bill O’Brien Fired as Head Coach of Houston Texans
Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel will take over as the interim coach for the remainder of the year. Crennel boasts head-coaching experience at the NFL level, having led the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs over the course of his coaching career. Crennel has been with the Texans since the 2014 season.
Prior to this year’s disastrous start, Houston was consistently competitive under O’Brien. The team finished above .500 in five of his previous six seasons as head coach and made four playoff appearances. They won the AFC South each year they made the postseason during O’Brien’s tenure and won two games in the wild-card round.
Last year’s playoffs were particularly noteworthy for the Texans. They fell behind 16-0 to the Buffalo Bills in the first round but were able to storm back, winning 22-19 in overtime. The following week, they put the Kansas City Chiefs on upset alert, getting off to a 24-0 first-half lead. Then KC proceeded to score 41 unanswered points and ultimately won the game 51-31 en route to their first Super Bowl title in 50 years.
O’Brien’s decision-making with respect to mortgaging the team’s future in order to make acquisitions was under fire over the past few seasons. Last year, he gave up two first-round picks (2020, 2021) among other draft capital to bring in offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil. Then came the really head-scratching move this previous off-season, dealing wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals, a move which further alienated the fanbase.
Houston’s first game of the post-Bill O’Brien era takes place this coming Sunday when the Texans welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars to town. The game gets underway at 1 p.m. ET.
