by New Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans is entrusting a familiar face with the team’s offense. San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik will reportedly be the The Texans’ offensive coordinator next seasonaccording to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Ryans and Slowik should know each other well. Both have worked with the 49ers for the past six seasons. Slowik originally joined the 49ers as the defensive quality control coach. He spent two years in that role before moving to offensive assistant in 2019.
Slowik eventually became a passing game specialist in 2021 before taking on the role of passing game coordinator in 2022. Despite starting three different quarterbacks this season, the 49ers offense still ranked sixth in points per game.
Slowik’s coaching career began with the Washington Commanders in 2010 when he was hired as a video assistant. He was promoted to defensive assistant in 2011 and held that job through 2013. Slowik was fired from the team after he parted ways with Mike Shanahan. From 2014 to 2016, Slowik worked as an analyst with Pro Football Focus.
The Texans are also reportedly bringing in Minnesota Vikings assistant Jerrod Johnson as quarterbacks coach.
Bobby Slowik will be tested against the Texans
Slowik should have his hands full in his new position. The Texans are desperate for help at quarterback after Davis Mills failed to build on an encouraging rookie season. After beating the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18, the Texans hold the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The team will likely select a quarterback with that pick.
Slowik will have the task of putting that quarterback in motion as soon as possible. He should have some experience on that front. The 49ers pushed both Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy into their starting lineup in 2022 due to injuries. Trey Lance, the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, was expected to start the team, but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.
Both Garoppolo and Purdy played well at short notice. The 49ers reached the NFC championship with Purdy at center and could have given the Philadelphia Eagles a much tougher fight if Purdy hadn’t been hurt.
Of course, it helped that the 49ers already had an excellent team surrounding their quarterbacks. That won’t be the case for the Texans, who need a complete roster overhaul after going 3-13-1 this season.
Getting a new quarterback should make a huge difference, but Slowik will still have a lot of work to do to bring the Texans offense back to relevance.
