Demeco Ryans, the current head coach of the Houston Texans, has helped to engineer one of the greatest franchise turnarounds in recent NFL history. 

SInce his hire in 2023, his team has a combined regular season record of 20-14, won two AFC South Division titles and won back to back AFC Wildcard playoff games by a 77-26 total margin. 

Along with success on the field, he has brought positivity, energy, and intensity that have permeated throughout the city and franchise. Not only has his effectiveness made him one of the most popular coaches in franchise history (and the entire NFL at the moment), but there is genuine belief again in Houston that a Super Bowl win could be on the horizon. 

Unfortunately, the 2025 season of the Houston Texans has begun disastrously. Even worse, the struggles to begin the season have led to an increasing amount of scrutiny aimed at the aforementioned franchise leader in Ryans. 

For those not in the know, the Texans have begun their campaign 2-4. Specifically, all four losses have primarily happened due to an offensive side of the ball that has not looked consistently impactful since 2023 (his first season as head coach).  

How the Texans Got Here

For greater context, Ryans hired a friend and former 49ers pass-game coordinator, Bobby Slowik, to be his first offensive coordinator upon his arrival and hire by the Texans. The pair shared immediate success with the help of then-rookie sensation CJ Stroud, quarterback out of Ohio State.

With Slowik at the helm from 2023-2024, the Texans' offense helped guide the team to back-to-back playoff appearances and AFC South Division titles for the first time since 2018-2019. They also added offensive talent like former Bengals running back Joe Mixon (2024) and former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs (2024). This was a sign from Houston that it believed in the direction of the franchise and was willing to put its chips in the middle of the table for the potential of a deeper playoff run.

However, cracks in the foundation started to show in the 2024 season, leading to questions about Slowik's adaptability as a play caller and his willingness to collaborate schematically with others. Namely, problems like the Texans going on a four-game stretch of being unable to score an offensive touchdown in the second halves of games (1-3 in such games).

Reports even came out about an alleged fallout over collegiate play terminology between Slowik and Stroud prior to the Texans drafting him in 2023. 

A Change at Coordinator

With so much controversy surrounding Slowik, as well as on-field results starting to decline, Ryans decided to part ways with his friend and play caller in hopes of bringing in a new voice who could help to elevate a Texans offense that had grown stagnant.

Houston interviewed eight candidates for offensive coordinator heading into 2025. It included: 

(note: named positions of the candidates reflect the timing of interview)

• Jerrod Johnson, Houston Texans QB coach
• Bill Lazor, Houston Texans senior offensive assistant
• Jeff Nixon, Syracuse offensive coordinator
• Nick Caley, L.A. Rams passing game coordinator
• Thad Lewis, Tampa Bay Bucs QB coach
• Adam Stenavich, Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator
• Brian Johnson, Washington Commanders assistant head coach
• Grant Udinski, Minnesota Vikings assistant offensive coordinator

In the end, former Rams coordinator Nick Caley was selected as the newest Texans play caller in February. He would be tasked with turning around a unit that already had quality pieces in Stroud, receiver Nico Collins, tight end Dalton Schultz and Mixon.

Houston then added multiple young pieces in the draft, including Iowa State receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, as well as Minnesota offensive lineman Aireontae Ersery. 

Having completely torn down the offense and built it anew, the franchise went into Caley's tenure with full confidence in its ability to reach heights previously unknown. Namely, the club's first AFC conference championship game in its 23-year history. 

More of the Same, but Worse

That confidence has not been rewarded though, as Caley has led an offense that is ranked as one of the worst in the sport. Its 23rd in passing YPG (198.2), 18th in rushing YPG (106.2), 21st in points PG (21.2) and 23rd in total YPG (304.3). It ranks 16th in sacks allowed with 15, but then its at 7th most yards lost on sacks in the NFL with 139. 

While fans and media alike have maligned the direction of the offense under Caley's leadership, Ryans has stepped in on Tuesday with the media to shoulder the brunt of the backlash. This was after the Texans suffered a 19-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks after the offense yet again floundered throughout the course of the game. 

"It all starts with me," Ryans said. "So, you guys want to point the finger at somebody, put it on me. That's my job, and ultimately, it's my job to get it fixed. So that's how it'll be, but we're rolling on what we have, and we got to just all do better. Got to coach you better. We got to play better. We got to execute better on game day."

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He then gives his assessment of how close the Texans were to defeating Seattle by proclaiming that they were "one possession from getting that game." 

There are two problems with what Ryans said to the media, starting with his vision of what "close" is. 

 That statement comes off as very disingenuous. He has forgotten more football than most media and fans will probably ever learn, yet his claim that they are "close" in any of these losses sounds like an attempt to mask the repeated failures of a hand-picked neophyte play caller who looks like a candidate to be one-and-done. 

It doesn't paint the full picture of how much self-inflicted error still plagues the offense, and it doesn't take into account how much the defense has had to carry the team for the last two seasons.

It manufactures a positive spin where it would be more beneficial to embrace a painful truth. Or, he actually believes what he's saying, which creates an even larger conversation about his viability as a decision maker and staff builder. 

Is Ryans Really a Problem?

That leads to the second problem, which is that Ryans is making himself the target of criticism rather than letting the responsibility fall directly on either his subordinates or superiors (like general manager Nick Caserio). 

While it is a noble thing for Ryans to publicly shoulder the blame for the direction of his team, the reality is that it only intensifies the focus on his job performance in light of the team's struggles this season. Everything is not his fault, but he did have a hand in the hiring of two problematic play callers in less than a three-year span. 

The performance of Caley has been a dark cloud over the team since week one, as his offense has been one of the sole reasons for why the Texans currently sit 3.5 games out of the AFC South lead before November 1st.

These problems have reinforced the stereotype that defensive head coaches don't usually have a long shelf life in their positions for a reason. In a league dominated by prolific offenses, Houston still finds itself lacking in the point production department. 

Ryans is a beloved figure in the Houston sports scene, but his persistence in being the sole recipient of blame is working to his disadvantage. If he's not careful, it could even lead to an unceremonious dismissal if things continue trending in the wrong direction. 

Is that to say that we should look out for a notification from Adam Schefter anytime time soon regarding his job security? Most likely not.

However, his seat is only going to grow hotter if the Texans can't find an immediate way to maximize the services of one of the NFL's best young passers in Stroud. 

Do you think Demeco Ryans is responsible for the Texans' struggles this season? What do you think the franchise should consider in light of recent event? 

Let us know in the comments below.