<
        >

          NFL Nation

          Texans keep defensive staff intact with promotions of Romeo Crennel, Mike Vrabel

          • Sarah Barshop, ESPN Staff WriterJan 18, 2017, 04:28 PM
            Close
              Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated. You can follow her on Twitter @sarahbarshop.
            Follow on X

          HOUSTON -- The Houston Texans knew linebackers coach Mike Vrabel might not last much longer as a position coach.

          ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed Tuesday that the Texans are promoting Vrabel to defensive coordinator and that Romeo Crennel, the Texans' defensive coordinator for the past three seasons, will stay with the team as assistant head coach.

          Last January, the 41-year-old Vrabel turned down an offer from the then-San Francisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly to be his defensive coordinator, and during the Texans' playoff run, Vrabel's name came up for coaching vacancies including an opening as the Los Angeles Rams' head coach.

          And so even though the Texans have one of the best defensive coordinators in the league in Crennel, they did some juggling around to find the right solution to keep their staff intact. These moves not only make sense to keep the staff together but are a win-win for the coaches and for head coach Bill O’Brien’s Texans.

          Crennel’s contract was set to expire on Tuesday, Jan. 24, and ESPN’s Adam Caplan reported that the Washington Redskins had interest in speaking to Crennel about their vacant defensive coordinator position, but they were denied permission to speak to him.

          The Texans finished the season ranked No. 1 in total defense this season, and O’Brien frequently complimented his coaching staff for playing a huge part in the success, especially after they lost three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt in late September.

          Houston's linebackers, coached by Vrabel, had some of the best years of their careers, led by inside linebackers Brian Cushing and Benardrick McKinney, so O’Brien and the Texans didn’t want to change up the good thing they had going this season.

          “[Mike is a] great football coach,” O’Brien said. “Communicates well. Very knowledgeable of the game. Beyond football, a great family guy, father and husband. We have a lot of guys like that on our staff. Very proud of this staff. This staff has done a nice job this year of preparing the players and being in the position we're in. Mike is a big part of that. He does a great job for us.”

          Vrabel’s former teammate nose tackle Vince Wilfork said he has no doubt that Vrabel “has everything it takes to be a head coach at this level.”

          “Playing with Mike, you could tell he always had that niche in the way of a player’s coach,” Wilfork said. “On the field playing the game, he knew the game so well. One of the things is he’s very smart and he understands the game from all aspects, not just defensively.

          “Just being around him as a player and now being around him as a coach, he has everything it takes to be a head coach at this level. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with his post-career in football and now into coaching to see how he’s going to handle everything. I think he’s going to handle it well.”