The Houston Texans might be changing coaches again. After just one season, the job status of Texans coach Lovie Smith beyond this season is uncertain, according to NFL Media.
Smith has reportedly been meeting with Texans owner Cal McNair to state his case to remain Houston's coach. The Texans are 2-13-1 entering Sunday's game in Indianapolis.
Smith succeeded David Culley, who was relieved of his duties after just one season. Houston went 4-12 during Culley's only season in Houston. Cully, a longtime NFL assistant coach, was hired after the team fired Bill O'Brien after an 0-4 start to the 2020 season. Romeo Crennel went 4-8 that season as Houston's interim coach.
Smith, 64, is 91-100-1 as an NFL head coach. He enjoyed a highly productive, nine-year run with the Bears that included a Super Bowl berth at the end of the 2006 season. Smith also had a two-year stint with Tampa Bay and a five-year run as the head coach of Illinois before being named the Texans' head coach in 2021.
Houston has largely been in rebuilding mode since firing O'Brien. Aiding Houston's rebuild is the draft picks the team acquired in this past offseason's trade of Deshaun Watson. Included in that trade were three future first-round picks that includes the Browns' first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh are two names that have been surfacing when discussing possible coaching vacancies for 2023. Payton has not been shy about his possible interest in returning to the sideline. Harbaugh, who recently guided Michigan to a second consecutive Big Ten championship, recently said he expects to be back in Ann Arbor next fall.
