The former Chicago and Tampa Bay coach will replace David Culley at the head of the Houston club.
Arrived late in the race for hiring, Lovie Smith will be the new coach of the Texans. NFL Media broke the news before the franchise made the news official.
By the way, it was announced that Pep Hamilton has been promoted to the position of offensive coordinator.
Already present with the team last year as defensive coordinator, Smith will therefore replace David Culley at the head of the Texans.
Houston relied on experience. Lovie Smith served as the Bears’ head coach for nine years (2004-2012), a prosperous period during which he reached the Super Bowl. Then he took charge of the Buccaneers for two seasons (2014-15) with much less success. His NFL record is finally relatively balanced, at 92 wins for 90 losses, with a record of 3-3 in the playoffs. He also spent five years at the helm of Illinois between 2016 and 2020.
The franchise ruled in Smith’s favor as Brian Flores sued the NFL, and Josh McCown had no high-level coaching experience. Among the other contenders, Jonathan Gannon (DC, Eagles), Kevin O’Connell (OC, Rams), and Joe Lombardi (OC, Chargers) were informed over the weekend that the team had made another choice.
Smith will have to face complicated challenges, since he inherits a training in sports loss which must decide the future of his former titular quarterback struggling with justice.
