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Texans Formally Give Bill O'Brien Official GM Title

By Brendan Balsamo

O'Brien has been with the Texans since 2014 and is now their newly-named general manager.
O'Brien has been with the Texans since 2014 and is now their newly-named general manager. / Christian Petersen/Getty Images

After spending the last seven years as head coach of the Houston Texans, Bill O'Brien has struggled to find much playoff success. The appearances have been there, but the wins mostly have not.

Instead of making a change and hiring new blood to take their vacant general manager spot, however, the franchise has opted to install O'Brien into that role on an official basis.

Earlier this month, O'Brien suggested that no GM would be hired. From a certain point of view, he's correct -- one was promoted from within.

All told, Houston fans are not likely to be overjoyed by the news. Ever since O'Brien took over as head coach, the team has struggled to make it past the AFC Wild Card, doing so just once. That happened to be this year, when the Texans devastatingly blew a 24-point lead in the Divisional Round to the Chiefs.

Not only that, but O'Brien has been ridiculed for his constant "win now" mentality when making roster decisions, as he has a history of trading draft picks away for veteran players.

The lack of a culture change in Houston puts the potential for real progress into question, which is a shame considering that this team has such a talented core led by stars like Deshaun Watson and JJ Watt on the defensive end.