DeMeco Ryans Gives Poignant Advice to Houston Texans Coach Bobby Slowik
Nobody had a closer seat to Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans’ rise coordinator to Coach of the Year candidate than offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
Designing the offense that saw rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud ascend to stardom and H-Town become playoff-bound, Slowik has become a person of interest during the 2024 hiring cycle.
The interest is warranted. Stroud is fantastic, but the wide-zone offense he operated helps give him the zone looks he thrives against. He navigated the running back room throughout the season to get Devin Singeltary the touches he needed to boost the offense and has optimized how receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell were utilized, too.
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Ryans has been publicly complimentary of Slowik and the work he’s done and acknowledged that a promotion of sorts is possible. To that, Ryans spoke of the advice he gave his offensive coordinator.
“Be selective,” Ryans said. “You only get one opportunity to do it. You want to make sure you’re selective and you’re going to – if you get the opportunity – get to a place where you feel like you can be effective.”
His words ring especially true considering two things: the Carolina Panthers are rumored to be interested in Slowik, and Ryans declined to interview with them before taking the Texans job.
Carolina would go on to hire, and soon fire, Frank Reich. The jury is still out on 2023 first-overall pick Bryce Young, but the cost to acquire him was a star receiver and the rights to the first pick in this year’s class, where Caleb Williams and Drake Maye reside.
A new general manager will be walking into the Panthers facility with lackluster draft capital, a quarterback who is trending toward bust status, and notable players set to depart in free agency. Additionally, owner David Tepper has been dead set on being the worst in the sport, recently throwing a drink at a frustrated fan.
It’s a terribly unattractive job and one Slowik frankly shouldn’t take.
He’s got a good thing going in Houston. One doesn’t reach the status of NFL offensive coordinator without being ambitious, so a head coaching gig is a natural next step. The perks that come with it can be life-changing. If the right opportunity presents itself, he should take it.
As Ryans said, being selective is key. Confidence in Stroud means a second year of coaching interest is possible, more so than with a flash-in-the-pan coordinator with a fluky quarterback. Staying in Houston is beneficial to the Texans’ operation, but if it means he takes a better opportunity in the next cycle, his bet will have hit.
First-time coaches in dysfunctional organizations are not guaranteed a second chance. With what he’s built in Houston, joining Ryans in saying no to Carolina may be the best decision he could make.
