David Culley was put in an impossible situation from the moment he signed on as head coach of the Houston Texans.
Deshaun Watson was embroiled in a serious legal situation and also made it clear he had no desire to suit up for the team this season.
That meant plenty of uncertainty for a first-time head coach.
But Culley is a veteran of the NFL in general and guided the Texans to a 4-13 finish.
He helped rookie quarterback Davis Mills look like a future star at times and the 2021 Texans matched the win total from 2020, when Watson was still under center.
Yet the Texans are a bit of a dysfunctional organization and Culley’s name came up as a potential firing.
Monday afternoon has arrived and he remains on the job.
NFL insider Albert Breer shared a quote from Culley that explains the current situation.
Texans coach David Culley tells reporters, "As far as I know, I'm the head coach of the Texans right now." No meeting with owner Cal McNair and/or GM Nick Caserio scheduled to discuss that as of yet, per Culley.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 10, 2022
“As far as I know, I’m the head coach of the Texans right now,” Culley said.
Texans May Seek Stability
The Texans leaving Culley up there to answer questions about his job status is not exactly a great sign.
Not having any meetings with ownership in place, as Culley mentioned, seems to be a good indication that he is at least safe for now.
Yet that could always change if the Texans desire one or more candidates on the open market.
Seeing someone like Brian Flores hit the coaching market could have several teams looking to get an upgrade at head coach.
Culley was a safe hire and he kept the Texans competitive throughout the entire season.
An injury to Tyrod Taylor was a tough blow, but it allowed Mills to play and look better than several of the first-round quarterbacks from the 2021 class.
Davis Mills had 3 games this season with a 125+ Passer Rating.
The only rookie QBs since 1950 with more were Russell Wilson (5), Ben Roethlisberger (4) and Matt Ryan (4). pic.twitter.com/q7A3joK8Ga
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 10, 2022
He had 16 touchdowns in only 13 games and finished the season with a three-touchdown performance in a close loss to the Tennessee Titans.
That divisional loss, with a final of 28-25, shows how hard the Texans were fighting under Culley in Week 18.
The front office may want to be smart and realize more change may be a bad thing now that they are close to moving on from the Watson saga.
