NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports the Texans are “moving towards” hiring defensive coordinator Lovie Smith as the team’s next head coach.
Though the deal isn’t done yet, the Texans have seemingly ruled out all of their other options. Smith went from completely unmentioned in the team’s search to all but inevitable in a little over 12 hours. Multiple reports have indicated that Smith was in the conversation all along though not a single report mentioned him up until it was most convenient for his candidacy to leak. The sudden shift from Houston’s three finalists, Josh McCown, Jonathan Gannon, and Brian Flores, to Smith reeks of an organization that is in complete disarray. After being jettisoned from the ranks of the NFL in 2016, Smith was hired as the head coach of Illinois. He went 17-39 with the Illini and then returned to the NFL as the Texans’ defensive coordinator. With so many talented young coaches on the market, calling Smith an underwhelming hire would be putting it lightly.