Breer’s Latest: Texans, Raiders, Bengals

NFL teams searching for new general managers aren’t only looking for evaluators, as Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com writes. Instead, ownership groups want candidates who can not only spot talent, but communicate with staff, engage with each department within the team, and manage personalities. “This job, you can’t just watch tape all day,” an NFC GM told Breer. “You have the equipment guy reporting to you, the video guy reporting to you, you’re managing the roster, working with the cap guy, handling the owner. There’s a difference between being a personnel director and being a GM. They’re different jobs. … And I think with [ex-Panthers GM Dave] Gettleman and [ex-Chiefs/current Browns GM John] Dorsey, it was more, ‘I just wanna watch tape.’”

Let’s take a look at the highlights from the rest of Breer’s column:

• Although Texans head coach Bill O’Brien says he won’t resign his position, it appears “less and less likely” that Houston’s current power structure — which also includes GM Rick Smith — will return in 2018, per Breer. O’Brien is entering the final season of his five-year contract, and given that most head coaches prefer not to work as “lame ducks,” O’Brien’s situation could be resolved this offseason. If he were fired, O’Brien would instantly be attractive to a number of teams that will be looking for new head coaches, according to Breer.
• Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther‘s contract will expire following the 2017 campaign, meaning he’s likely to either replace Marvin Lewis as Cincinnati’s head coach or move to another club as DC, reports Breer. Confirming what Michael Lombardi of the Ringer mentioned earlier this month, Breer notes that Guenther could conceivably be hired by the Redskins, who employ former Bengals OC Jay Gruden as head coach. Cincinnati has finished 14th, 10th, and 17th in defensive DVOA in thee full seasons under Guenther, and currently rank 18th this year.
• Given that the Raiders were one of this season’s greatest disappointments, the club will likely make coaching staff alterations over the next few months, and one such change could be the removal of offensive line coach Mike Tice, per Breer. Tice, a longtime OL instructor and former head coach of the Vikings, is a close friend of Oakland head coach Jack Del Rio, but he’s also considered a “polarizing presence,” says Breer.