Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans could be on the verge of making his first significant additions to the coaching staff, pulling one of the best minds away from the San Francisco 49ers and coach Kyle Shanahan.
Shortly after landing in Houston, Ryans met with 49ers’ passing-game coordinator Bobby Slowik to discuss the Texans’ vacant offensive coordinator and play-caller position. While other candidates have been brought in for interviews, Slowik might be poised to move to Houston.
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According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Slowik is ‘well-positioned’ to become the Texans offensive coordinator. He could also bring another coach along with him. Breer also noted that Klint Kubiak, the Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks coach, might also join the coaching staff in Houston next season.
Slowik always stood out as the likeliest candidate on the 49ers’ staff to follow Ryans to the Texans. The two have worked together in San Francisco since 2017 when they worked under Shanahan as defensive quality control coaches.
Kubiak would be a significant addition to the Texans’ coaching staff. The 35-year-old is the son of legendary coach Gary Kubiak. There are also ties to Ryans and the Texans’ organization because Gary Kubiak was Ryans’ coach from 2006-’11.
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Shanahan could try and convince Slowik to remain in San Francisco, offering him the outright title of offensive coordinator with a pay raise. However, Ryans can provide him with an opportunity to oversee the Texans’ offense and help pick which quarterback the Texans will select in the 2023 NFL Draft to build their offense around.
If Klint Kubiak follows Slowik and Ryans to Houston, he would work one-on-one with whomever the Texans draft. By the time Slowik becomes one of the rising NFL coaching candidates, if he is successful in Houston, the Texans could then promote Kubiak to offensive coordinator if Slowik is hired as a head coach.
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Slowik, age 35, began his NFL coaching career in 2011 with the Washington Commanders and followed Shanahan to San Francisco. Following the departure of Mike McDaniel in 2022, Slowik became the top assistant to Shanahan and his stock is rising around the NFL.
As John Owning of PFF described in detail, Slowik’s roots are in the West Coast offense. He operates under a similar mindset as Shanahan, with a preference for 21 personnel using two running backs and a tight end to create quick throwing lanes and favorable matchups for a quarterback to attack shortly after the snap.
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