David Culley Reportedly Fired as Texans Head Coach After 1 Season

AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith

David Culley’s tenure as head coach of the Houston Texans has reportedly come to an end after just one season.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Texans decided Thursday to part ways with Culley after the team went 4-13 in 2021.

Coming off a difficult 2020 season that saw Bill O’Brien get fired after four games and Romeo Crennel take over on an interim basis, the Texans sought to bring some stability to the organization.  

Culley was hired by Houston on Jan. 29 after a 27-year run as an assistant coach in the NFL. The 66-year-old spent the previous two seasons as the assistant head coach, wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens on John Harbaugh’s staff. 

The Texans’ situation was complicated by quarterback Deshaun Watson requesting a trade during the offseason. 

Watson has been accused of sexual assault and sexual misconduct by 24 different women. There are currently 22 active civil lawsuits that have been filed against the 26-year-old. 

Houston kept Watson inactive for the entire 2021 season because of his ongoing legal situation. 

Culley was given a difficult task in his first stint as a head coach and did a decent job given how volatile the Texans have been.

Rookie quarterback Davis Mills showed some promise in 11 starts. The third-rounder out of Stanford threw for 2,664 yards, 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 66.8 percent of his attempts. 

The Texans need to pick a direction and give their next head coach an opportunity to build if they want to get out of the AFC South cellar in the near future. They are going to have the No. 3 overall pick in 2022 to find a potential franchise player.