Texans Interview Jeff Nixon For OC

After Bobby Slowik went from HC candidate to coordinator free agency, the Texans are moving with their replacement search. They have completed their interview with quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, and another meeting is also in the books.

Syracuse offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon met with the Texans about the position, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Nixon arrived at the ACC program last year, joining as Fran Brown took the Orange’s reins, but has NFL experience. He was in the league most recently as Giants running backs coach in 2023.

Nixon, 50, was a Matt Rhule staffer who followed him from Baylor to the Panthers in 2020. Nixon was Rhule’s RBs coach for three seasons in Carolina, finishing out the 2022 campaign after the HC’s early-season dismissal. Nixon coached the Dolphins running backs from 2011-15 and served as a 49ers assistant under Chip Kelly in 2016. He signed on as Rhule’s co-OC at Baylor a year later, beginning his path with the short-term NFL leader.

The Texans have now complied with the Rooney Rule, as Nixon is Black. While GM and HC vacancies require in-person meetings with at least two external minorities, OC and DC posts only require one such interview. This is not Nixon’s first NFL OC meeting, however, as he met about the Cowboys’ vacancy — one that went to Brian Schottenheimer — in 2023.

Riding impressive showings from NFL-bound skill players LeQuint Allen and Oronde Gadsden II, the Orange went 10-3 this past season and ranked 21st nationally with 34.6 points per game. That marked a significant jump from 2023, when Syracuse’s 23.5 PPG number ranked 92nd.

Houston has been linked to Kelly, who was DeMeco Ryans‘ final NFL HC, joining Jacksonville in that regard. Kelly would stand to be more attracted to the Texans’ opening, as it would come with play-calling duties; Liam Coen will call plays for the Jaguars. But a Johnson promotion, and now a Nixon hire, sit on the radar as well.