HOUSTON — The honeymoon is over and the Houston Texans are ready to get to work.
Newly hired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is part of rookie coach DeMeco Ryans’ staff that seeks to implement a system that brings the Texans more success than the past three seasons.
Slowik met with the media inside NRG Stadium and made it known in his introductory presser that his system would not hesitate to play rookie quarterbacks. The club is expected to use its No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft on quarterback as Houston transitions away from third-year Davis Mills as a starter.
The 36-year-old touched on his final season with the San Francisco 49ers and its reliance on rookie Brock Purdy as an example of how the Texans won’t be hesitant with youth at quarterback.
“I believe this to my core, if you get in a room when you’re by yourself and you turn on our film, our character should show through when you watch our offense,” said Texans OC Bobby Slowik on what he believes the offensive identity will be this season. #Sarge @TheTexansWire pic.twitter.com/NvVLzHYm8O
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) March 8, 2023
“Unfortunately, we had to go through three quarterbacks last year,” Slowik said. “We had ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ (Purdy) who did one heck of a job playing for us in San Francisco by taking us all the way to the NFC Championship Game.
“I think how you structure the entire thing, offense, that includes defense, that includes special teams, everything plays a hand in how it all goes together.”
San Francisco’s plan going into the season was to hand the play-calling duties over to quarterback Trey Lance. That strategy ended when he suffered a season-ending injury to his right ankle in Week 2.
The 49ers had no choice but to move on to their backup option, Jimmy Garoppolo, to replace Lance, but he also had to be shut down for the season after suffering a broken left foot against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13.
San Francisco’s playoff hopes were immune to the injury bug thanks to offensive-minded coach Kyle Shanahan’s “plug and play” system.
Insert Purdy, or as some would like to call him, “Mr. Irrelevant,” a title given to the last player selected in the NFL draft. Purdy played better than the expectations of a seventh-rounder as he kept San Francisco’s playoff hopes relevant. The 49ers’ season ended in the NFC Championship Game at the Philadelphia Eagles as Purdy suffered a torn UCL.
Slowik reiterated that he wants the Texans’ offense to resemble the success that the 49ers.
“When you get in a room by yourself, and you turn on what we call ‘the silent tape,’ you’re going to feel a team that’s very aggressive, that’s fast, that’s decisive, there’s no hesitation, everyone knows what we’re doing, and we enjoy playing the game,” Slowik said. “That, overall, is what we want to do on offense. Putting our guys in the best positions to do what they do best.”
At No. 2 overall, Houston is in prime position to take Alabama’s Bryce Young or Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, two of the draft’s highly touted quarterbacks. Should the Texans trade back, another possible franchise quarterback would be available in Florida’s Anthony Richardson, whose draft status rose after dazzling workouts at the NFL combine in early March.
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