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How Texans HC DeMeco Ryans settled on Nick Caley as next OC

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Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans was looking at the negatives following another divisional-round loss.

The Texans might have finished 10-7 and secured a second consecutive AFC South division title, but the offensive woes hindered better results. There was a run midseason where Houston couldn’t score in the second half, resulting in four second-half collapses and a lesser seed in the postseason.

So when Ryans elected to fire offensive coordinator and longtime friend Bobby Slowik, he knew the next hire had to be exceptional. Cutting corners or hiring friends wasn’t an option if they didn’t fit what was missing.

“I talked to a lot of great people throughout this process,” Ryans said Thursday.

He did. Ryans reportedly interviewed seven candidates from different backgrounds. Some were from the college level. Others had never called plays but were considered rising stars in the industry.

But whenever going back to square one, Los Angeles Rams tight ends coach Nick Caley remained the name that always stood out. Even in conversations with outsiders, Caley’s name continued to come up.

“It was very clear that Nick was the right guy for our team,” Ryans said. “His energy, his leadership ability, and with him being able to understand the run game, pass game, with him being in multiple schemes, multiple schemes that were successful, understanding how to tailor the offense to the players that we have, that led me to Nick.”

A native of Canton, Ohio, Caley knew by the age of nine he wanted to get into coaching. Growing up miles down the road from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the game was embedded in his DNA at a young age.

Before arriving in Houston, Caley, 42, created a path to learn all aspects of football. He began his coaching career as a student at John Carroll University, the same alma mater as general manager Nick Caserio.

After nine seasons and five stops at the college level, Caley joined Bill Belichick’s roster in New England. For eight seasons, he worked his way up from offensive assistant to tight ends coach, helping Rob Gronkowski put together an All-Pro campaign in 2017.

“I love tight ends,” Caley said. “Obviously, I’m a little bit biased there, but think we got a great group of guys, smart and tough, competitive. My history, we’ve used a bunch of different guys in different roles, and I like tight ends.”

Caley eventually headed out west to work with Sean McVay as the Rams’ new passing game coordinator. With McVay calling plays and Caley overseeing the passing attack, Los Angeles finished 10th in passing yards per game and put together promising numbers in both postseason games.

Caley’s passion drew him toward McVay in 2023. That same energetic mentality stood out for Ryans during the interview process.

“When I’m looking at veteran players, evaluating players, I want players who love the game of football,” Ryans said. “Instantly, when you talk to Nick and you guys see it right here, he’s passionate about football.”

As C.J. Stroud enters his third season, the Texans can’t be complacent and hope his development will simply take another step forward. Slowik’s struggles to connect with the quarterback ultimately factored into the decision to move in a different direction.

Enter Caley, who preached the importance of fundamentals during his press conference, but still has to prove himself as a first-time play-caller. He’ll also need to address ways to fix a disheveled offensive line, either via personnel changes, scheme adjustments or both.

“It all starts up front obviously and it’s really all 11,” Caley said. “We all have to be in sync and I think protection starts with communication, trust and cohesiveness up front and really having clear rules in the protection system. We’re going to be going through that process.”

Ryans moved off Slowik because he believes the Texans’ offense can reach the next gear. Caley was brought in to put it in motion.

“I feel really strong in my conviction that he can lead us and get us over the hump,” Ryans said. “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.”