The Houston Texans need to hire Eric Bieniemy.
That is the consensus that writers who cover the NFL for ESPN have reached. Through their “NFL Head Coaching Carousel” interactive matchmaker, the four-letter network has given the pairing of the Texans with the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator an A.
Attention to detail. Players who have worked with Bieniemy talk about how detail-oriented he is and how he makes certain every player has down solid the nuances of each play. He’s an in-your-face communicator. Everybody knows exactly where they stand with Bieniemy. — Adam Teicher, ESPN Kansas City
Sarah Barshop, who covers the Texans for ESPN, indicates that while Bieniemy teaming up with Deshaun Watson could produce another explosive combination, much like Bieniemy’s pairing with Patrick Mahomes, the Texans don’t have very many impact players on the roster aside from Watson. The lack of premium draft picks would also make a quick turnaround difficult; it may take another season before the Bieniemy Way leads to any success.
There were two other coaches who were considered A-grade hires along with Bieniemy: Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and Michigan Wolverines head football coach Jim Harbaugh. However, Harbaugh will be sticking around with Michigan, and Leftwich has been linked to the Marshall head football coach job.
Houston missed its opportunity to interview Bieniemy before the Chiefs got into postseason action. Now, the Texans will have to wait until the Chiefs are out of the playoffs or have qualified for the Super Bowl before they can talk to Bieniemy, who is a very attractive coaching candidate this cycle.