The Houston Texans did more than score themselves the favorite to win NFL Rookie of the Year through quarterback C.J. Stroud. They wound up with the perfect coordinator to jumpstart Stroud’s career.
Bobby Slowik ended up becoming the most important hire for DeMeco Ryans and his first Texans coaching staff. Slowik is the offensive coordinator behind the AFC South’s division winner and lone playoff representative. Now, Slowik is emerging as a red-hot commodity among head coaching circles for 2024.
Teams Have Requested Interviews for Bobby Slowik
Slowik’s name has surfaced multiple times for interview requests.
Per PFN’s NFL Head Coach Interview Tracker, Slowik has been requested by four different teams searching for a new head coach. Here are the teams that have asked for the Texans’ OC.
- Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons are transitioning away from the Arthur Smith era after three mediocre seven-win seasons. While Smith is considered an offensive whiz, he struggled with settling on a quarterback to turn high draft picks Drake London and Kyle Pitts into the uber-productive weapons they were drafted to be.
- Carolina Panthers: It appears the Panthers want to give another try to an offensive guru after Frank Reich failed and got fired mid-season. The next head coach has first-overall pick Bryce Young to build around. Given the work Slowik did with the No. 2 pick — Stroud — perhaps Carolina is the fit. But Slowik has only been requested to come in for a chat with the front office.
- Tennessee Titans: The AFC South rivals are trying to move quickly to replace Mike Vrabel, who got fired 24 hours after Black Monday. The Titans happen to have another high-profile member of the 2023 QB class in Will Levis. Tennessee saw the magic Slowik created with Stroud and has asked to speak with the Texans’ assistant.
- Washington Commanders: The Commanders were among the first to put in a request for Slowik after canning Ron Rivera on Monday. Slowik would have a young QB to work with — the 2024 second-overall pick (or Sam Howell) — plus star wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
If there’s one thing these four teams have in common, each opening has improvement at QB at the forefront. The teams calling for Slowik are interested in seeing if he can carry over the same tools he gave to Stroud. But Slowik’s work with Stroud isn’t the only impressive element on his resume.
Slowik Is a Part of a Major Coaching Tree
Slowik is more than the right-hand man and offensive shot-caller for Ryans. Both men are part of a high-profile tree that has grown its branches: the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree.
The San Francisco 49ers head coach is being credited for helping influence and mold some of the more recognizable faces in the HC realm.
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Sean McVay is a part of that tree. He’s captured a Super Bowl win and has the Los Angeles Rams back in the postseason. Matt LaFleur has his own history with Shanahan, as the two worked together in Washington. LaFleur, like McVay, has his Green Bay Packers back in the playoffs.
But there’s more. Mike McDaniel was Shanahan’s top offensive deputy before the 2022 season when he took over the Miami Dolphins job. McDaniel has since put together back-to-back playoff runs in South Beach.
Of course, Ryans is the latest success story from the Shanahan tree — spearheading the Texans’ division title run in just his first season.
However, Slowik was once one of the longer-tenured members of Shanahan’s 49ers staff before following Ryans to Houston. When Shanahan was named the San Francisco head coach in 2017, Slowik was one of his first hires — as a defensive quality control coach.
Four years later, Slowik worked his way to an offensive pass-game specialist. Then, in 2022, he earned his highest coaching ranking at the time: 49ers passing game coordinator. And in his latter role with the Niners, he helped turn a then-rookie named Brock Purdy into an undefeated regular season starter and conference game QB.
The 38-year-old Slowik now has Houston ranking seventh in passing yards after falling to 25th the previous year. He’s turned Stroud into a threat to win one of the league’s top individual honors. Slowik has surfaced as one of the more red-hot names bound for his first head coaching job.
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