The Houston Texans made some considerable moves on the offensive side of the ball across this offseason, but perhaps the most substantial of the bunch came with their decision to add new offensive coordinator Nick Caley into the fold from the Los Angeles Rams to give this unit a fresh playcalling mind for the season ahead.
And while the Texans haven't even hit their mandatory minicamp portion of the offseason, it's becoming apparent that Caley's having a huge impact within the staff early on when asking head coach DeMeco Ryans.
When breaking down what he's seen from Caley during the team's rookie minicamp, Ryans didn't hold back on his praise for his new offensive coordinator, noting his standout energy and attention to detail.
"Nick Caley has done an outstanding job of just really connecting with the staff, the players," Ryans said. "He's done a really good job of making it his, making the offense the Houston Texans'. It's been a very thorough process, a very detailed approach, which was the same throughout his interview process. The energy is on 100 every single day, so I love the positive energy he brings, the smile, the joy that he brings to work every day. That rubs off on the players, so he's done a fantastic job with that. It's been great working with him, and I know he's going to do a really great job of leading that side of the ball.
Caley enters the mix with Houston having a big task ahead of him in getting this unit back on track for the 2025 season.
The Texans regressed in both scoring offense and yards gained from their previous campaign this past season, inevitably leading to the firing of Bobby Slowik after just two seasons, now adding Caley as the next man for the job. And while it was a move that raised a few eyebrows initially, it seems like the former Rams assistant is already making a considerably good impression.
It's early, but the Texans may have hit a home run swing with their hire of Caley.
DeMeco Ryans reveals that the first day of rookie minicamp for the Texans is much simpler than you may think
When you think of players and coaches, Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans is usually at the top of the list. He is the ultimate players coach, and you see that in the way his players play for him. He gets the most out of his guys.
Ryan is so much of a player's coach that he actually doesn't do things that the stereotypical head coach would do. He doesn't yell and cuss at his players like they are in college or high school. He doesn't go extra hard on them because he knows his guys can turn up the heat themselves. He is not like normal coaches.
And the same applies for the offseason workout stuff, even for the rookies. He's not going to be overly aggressive in his coaching style with them, even if they are new and need to adapt to the NFL lifestyle. In fact, the rookies' first day of rookie minicamp actually is a lot more simple than you would think.
“With the first day, we’re really excited to have our rookies out, just to get them on the grass, see them in their Texans gear for the first time," DeMeco Ryans told reporters on Friday. "So, it’s an exciting day for the coaches to be able to work with them, and we’re just trying to get the guys acclimated to what we do, how we do it. And then just make sure everybody understands that. So, when we show up next Monday, the guys are ready to roll and be integrated in with our veterans.”
And, you know what, whatever Ryans is doing, no one is going to tell him that he is doing it wrong. That's not to say he can't do anything wrong, or not to hype him up as a guy who just won a Super Bowl. But, he's two full years in, and in both years, he has won a playoff game.
In his first year, he beat the Cleveland Browns pretty handily before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the next round. This year, he beat the Los Angeles Chargers pretty handily before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the next round. Regardless, Ryans is doing something right. And hey, who is to say that's not normal for rookie minicamp anyway?
The Texans nailed the draft, and getting their guys in the locker room, on the field, and in their gear is very important right now when it comes to establishing the culture they want for 2025, even with the first-year players.
