he Houston Texans front office interviewed former Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury for their offensive coordinator position. The announcement came as a bit of a surprise after Kingsbury had previously announced he would be leaving the country and taking some time away from football during the 2023 season.
The offensive guru has been coach for each of the last 10 years. He was the coach from 2013-2018 at his alma mater, Texas Tech, where he’d broken records as a quarterback, before taking over the Cardinals from 2019-2022. Prior to that he was an offensive coordinator for Texas A&M, helping to lead the offense that saw freshman Johnny Manziel capture the Heisman Trophy.
Something I would love about a potential Kliff Kingsbury hire is it would allow DeMeco Ryans to be extremely hands off on that side of the ball. He’s done it before at a high level.
Can focus on your defensive prowess and growing relationally with players, an exhale #WeAreTexans
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) February 10, 2023
The hire is an intriguing one at face value and one that has caused a split in the Houston fanbase over whether or not it would be a wise hire for DeMeco Ryans’ first offensive coordinator. The country just witnessed the collapse of the Cardinals just one season after making the playoffs and handing quarterback Kyler Murray a massive extension.
Is that what Houston should lean into?
Some further reading into Kingsbury’s resume and exactly what his presence would mean for the Texans reveals a coordinator who may be the perfect fit for Houston’s newest head coach.
To begin, Ryans has never had the responsibility of serving as a football team’s head coach. That is a title Kingsbury has held for a decade now and a role in which he is intimately familiar. He would serve as a presence that Ryans could lean on for experience and, alongside his former staff member Matt Burke, would provide important experience for Ryans coaching staff.
There’s also reason to believe that the Texans would see an entirely different version of Kingsbury. The coach would no longer be responsible for recruiting to the whims of high schoolers as he was at Texas Tech, nor would he be responsible for the front office responsibilities that have come in the NFL. He would solely be tasked with working with a young quarterback and crafting an offense that can score points and compliment the defensive prowess Ryans is hoping to install.
Kingsbury, with the recent bad taste of that Arizona venture, might also be slow to find another NFL head coaching opportunity. It’s a coordinator hire who could very reasonably see three seasons and be alongside the early development of whoever Houston chooses to select with the second overall pick.
Speaking of young quarterbacks, Kingsbury brings quite the resume. Alongside Manziel’s Heisman Trophy, he played a key role as Patrick Mahomes coach before he was drafted in the first round in 2017 and also helped Murray capture NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019. He would be an excellent asset alongside Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud as Houston hopes to accelerate the learning curve of their future young franchise quarterback.
Kliff Kingsbury's quarterback resume as a coach:
Johnny Manziel – Wins the Heisman Trophy in 2014
Patrick Mahomes – Drafted 1st round in 2017
Kyler Murray – NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 2019Great offenses, great QB play… Just not a lot of wins. #WeAreTexans
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) February 11, 2023
Kingsbury was coincidentally the first coach to ever extend a scholarship offer to Young, but that’s another story.
His win loss record at both Texas Tech and in Arizona was an underwhelming one but, alongside fewer responsibilities, there’s reason to believe things could be different in Houston. Former Arizona general manager Steve Keim struggled in the draft the last five seasons and also wasted a multitude of assets on wide receivers.
The presence of Nick Caserio and his stout New England background would almost ensure roster construction would go in a different direction.
Meanwhile, for all of the young quarterback’s talent, Kingsbury was tied to a Murray who seemed disinterested in growing as an NFL passer over the last few seasons. Infamously, the Cardinals worked to include a forced study clause in his contract last offseason. The work ethic of top quarterbacks in this draft could make for an offense that could evolve as those passers grew in the league.
All of this to say, removing the win-loss goggles from the Kingsbury perspective presents an appealing option for the Houston Texans. Ryans would gain a coordinator who he can trust fully to compose an offense and call plays in addition to a veteran coach that he could lean on. A rookie quarterback would have an offensive guru with a proven track record of success.
