Ryans: New OC Caley can lead Texans 'over the hump'
Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans is confident offensive coordinator Nick Caley is the right man to help the organization ascend to another level after it dismissed his predecessor.
"I feel really strong in my conviction that he can lead us and get us over the hump," Ryans said, according to NFL.com's Nick Shook. "We've had a lot of good success these first two years, and the reason we're doing it is I think there's another level that we can go to. I said earlier, it's my job to take this organization to new heights, and I think hiring Nick will help us to get there."
Caley joins Houston after spending the past two seasons on Sean McVay's staff with the Los Angeles Rams. He served as the tight ends coach throughout his Rams tenure, adding the role of pass game coordinator in 2024. The Ohio native spent the previous eight seasons as offensive assistant and positional coach with the New England Patriots.
The 42-year-old has no experience as a play-caller. He's now tasked with helping quarterback C.J. Stroud elevate his game in his third NFL season. The Texans OC was effusive in his praise of Stroud and is eager to begin working with the 23-year-old.
"He can spin it. He throws the ball," Caley said of Stroud, according to ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime. "He's an accurate thrower of the football. He is a natural thrower of the football. He's instinctive. He's got the 'it' factor. And he's a warrior in terms of his competitiveness. I've admired him dating back to his college days."
Houston fired former offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik in January after the offense experienced some regression last season. The Texans' total yards per game dropped from 342.4 in 2023 to 319.7 last year. Houston's points per contest also declined from 22.2 to 21.9 in the same timeframe.
Ryans said the decision to part with Slowik was "very hard" considering the two were close friends. Slowik was hired by the Miami Dolphins to be their new senior passing game coordinator.
The Texans' passing attack struggled with the offensive line's ability to protect Stroud last year. He was sacked 52 times, with only Chicago's Caleb Williams (68) exceeding the Houston QB's total.
The Texans have won the AFC South title and a wild-card round game in the past two seasons. With Caley in the fold, Houston is focused on creating an offensive scheme around the strength of its roster.