The future of the Houston Texans remains up in the air as general manager Nick Caserio searches for a new head coach and offensive coordinator. But in this search forward, it might be wise for Texans to look to their past.

San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans was a 2006 second-round draft pick for the Texans. The linebacker went on to be named Rookie of the Year, was named to two Pro Bowls, and was a 2007 first-team All-Pro. Ryan’s was eventually traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012 before retiring after the 2015 season.

Ryans transitioned into coaching in 2017 as the 49ers’ defensive quality control coach. This was followed by a promotion to inside linebackers coach from 2018 to 2020, after which he was promoted to coordinator, replacing Robert Saleh, who just finished his first year as head coach with the New York Jets.

In his first year as coordinator for the 10-7 49ers (who are in the playoffs with the Dallas Cowboys), his defense came third in total length allowed, sixth in passing yards, and seventh in rushing yards, despite only three players starting all 17 games . Ryans also helped defensive end Nick Bosa reach his second Pro Bowl.

In a league where every team is trying to find a promising young manager who can bring new ideas and a fresh mind, what better way for Houston to do so than in the form of one of their former players.

We say this while acknowledging that Caserio’s search for the head coach appears to be about plucking names from the Patriots tree – namely Jerod Mayo and Brian Flores. No problem, but a full search should complete it.

Meanwhile, if getting one 49ers coach isn’t enough, why not two? Wes Welker, coach of the Niners receivers, began his coaching career in Houston as an offensive assistant and special teams adviser under Bill O’Brien for two seasons before joining the 49ers.

Since then, the former All-Pro has worked his magic on Deebo Samuel, who himself was named to his first All-Pro team this year.

Welker was someone who had wide audiences gravitating towards him during his time in Houston, trying to soak up as much information as possible from the former New England Patriot — yes, Welker fits the “Patriots South” mold. Another young coach rising through the ranks Welker would be able to bring a wealth of experience to the table, having played alongside the likes of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady to perhaps freshen up this often stale Texans offense.

There is nothing wrong with “Patriots South”. But during a quest? There’s nothing wrong with “The Best of Texans” either.

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The Houston Texans want to extend their winning streak to three and play their penultimate game of the season this Sunday in the playoffs of the San Francisco 49ers.

And despite the fact that they just play out of pride, according to Texan’s security Justin Reid, the motivation is as strong as ever: “We’re trying to be the Grinch who goes there and will steal San Francisco’s Christmas”.

RECORDS: Texans (4-11), 49ers (8-7)

OPPORTUNITIES: Ouch. The Texans are 12.5 points underdog, the over / under is 43.5 (Pro SI Sportsbook).

STAT: The Texans faced fewer opponents than the 49ers. San Francisco currently leads the series 3-1. Houston’s only win came back in 2009 when Matt Schaub passed for 264 yards and two touchdowns while Steve Slaton and Owen Daniels led the Texans in rushing and receiving, respectively.

This is the first duel between these teams since 2017, when the 49ers won 26-16.

SIDE FACT: The Texans have returned to near full strength since last week’s 41-29 win over the LA Chargers. Sixteen players have been activated from the COVID-19 / reserve list this week, including star wide receiver Brandin Cooks, starting center Justin Britt and defensive end Jonathan Greenard, who sacks Houston at the top.

Left guard Lane Taylor, defensive linemen Roy Lopez, Maliek Collins, Derek Rivers, Jaleel Johnson, Jordan Jenkins, linebackers Kamu Grugier-Hill, Eric Wilson and Neville Hewitt, kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn and security guards Eric Murray and AJ Moore were also there activated. Cre’Von LeBlanc, cornerback of the training team, also returned.

Houston, however, has lost wide receivers Danny Amendola, Chris Moore and defensive end Ron’Dell Carter to the COVID protocol.

In the meantime, Receiver Phillip Dorsett and Center Cole Toner have been placed in the injured reserve.

Keep an eye out: With quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo struggling with an injury, Trey Lance is likely to start for San Francisco. If so, it will be the battle of the rookie quarterbacks: Lance (third overall pick) vs. Davis Mills (third round pick).

Lance has only played five times and started only once this season. He lost 25 of 48 for 354 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Lance hasn’t played since Week 11 and hasn’t started since losing to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5.

Mills has played 11 games, starting nine and 219 out of 329 for 2,200 yards, 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. As Houston’s starter in the last three games, Mills went 2-1, passing for 794 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.

HOUSTON’S KEY TO VICTORY: More of the same.

Last week’s surprise win wasn’t particularly groundbreaking. The Texans simply implemented the basics more effectively. Rex Burkhead was able to get the running game going thanks to consistent blocking from a makeshift offensive line. Combine that with Mills’ efficiency in passing and the offense finally clicks.

The hope is that there won’t be a hangover from last week and that they can hold the momentum through the end of the season and finish at a high.

PLAY TIME: 3:05 PM CT, Sunday January 2

POSITION: Levi’s Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

TV / RADIO: CBS, KHOU, Sports Radio 610, 100.3 The Bull, Mega 101 FM

THE LAST WORD: Win or lose when the Texans can see another solid performance from their rookies then fans have reason to be optimistic. Mills along with receiver Nico Collins, tight end Brevin Jordan, defensive tackle Roy Lopez and linebacker Garret Wallow have all impressed this year and look like building blocks that move forward.

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It’s been a long time since the Houston Texans beat the 49ers.

It was a rare feat for the Houston Texans to beat the San Francisco 49ers in a regular season NFL game as it happened only once in four chances in the history of the Texans franchise.

The Texans are 1-3 total of all time in the game against the 49ers, and this Sunday it will be only the fifth clash between the two franchises, with the game taking place at Levi’s Stadium.

Houston hasn’t beaten the 49ers since 2009 (with a 24-21 score in Houston), and back then players like Matt Schaub, Steve Slaton, Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels and Kevin Walter all played offensively for the Texans.

That win was so long ago that Brian Cushing led the Texans in duels at eight that October day and Mario Williams had a sack.

Houston Texans: Will 2 Rookie Quarterbacks Face Off?

Looking forward to this Sunday if it’s a rookie quarterback fight, how much fun would that be?

The Texans are set to start Davis Mills, who has improved his overall game in recent games, and if the 49ers can’t have Jimmy Garoppolo, who didn’t train on Thursday with a thumb injury, it will be rookie Trey Lance under the middle.

In three games in which he threw a pass, Lance is 25 out of 48 for 354 yards with three touchdown passes and one interception. He last threw a pass in week 5.

Mills had a unique season in which he was forced to play in Week 2 when Starter went 0-6, returned to the bench when Tyrod Taylor was healthy, was put in a game by Taylor because of a bad play, and now has was called the starter over a healthy Taylor.

Throughout the ’21 season, Mills has thrown 2,200 yards with 12 touchdown passes and nine interceptions, with a 2-7 starter record.

In weeks 14-16, since being named a starter over Taylor, Mills has five touchdown passes and only one interception. He has two more games, including this week against the 49ers, to prove he should remain the starter for the franchise’s evolution.

Don’t expect the Texans to fold on what’s at stake for Mills, but this game is important for the 49ers as well as they still have hopes of making the playoffs.

So the Houston Texans have their best chance of winning a game against San Francisco since 2009, and a big aspect of that game will be the performance of rookie quarterback Mills as he seeks to lead the Texans to their fifth win of the season.

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SANTA CLARA, Calif .– It is still unclear whether Jimmy Garoppolo, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, will survive his right thumb injury against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

But if he has his way, Garoppolo will be in his usual starting spot in a game the 8-7 Niners must have to reach an NFC playoff spot. He said on Wednesday that he “definitely” had a chance to play against the Texans.

“I’ve basically played the entire game with it so it’s really just about grabbing the ball and doing the things I normally do and we’re going to test these out today, see how it feels and then move on.” said Garoppolo said. “But I am convinced of it.”

The 49ers can secure a postseason spot with a win against the Texans and a loss for the New Orleans Saints to the Carolina Panthers.

Before training on Wednesday, Garoppolo threw under the supervision of the team’s training staff. But Garoppolo was seen leaving the field before training began and was officially listed as a non-entrant on the attendance report.

Garoppolo also did not attend the team’s Monday “bonus” training session as he waited for the swelling of his thumb to subside. On Wednesday he threw for the first time since the Niners’ 20-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans last week.

“We’ll see how it looks today,” said Garoppolo on Wednesday. “If it looks good, it looks good. If it looks bad, it looks bad. It’s just one of those things to test and go through. Until we do, it’ll be hard to tell. But we will all be on the same page and do the right thing for the team. “

While there was some confusion about the severity of Garoppolo’s injury, coach Kyle Shanahan provided more clarity on Wednesday. According to Shanahan, Garoppolo has a grade 3 ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right thumb, adding that reports of a fracture have been due to the sprain “peeling off” a small patch of his bone.

But Shanahan said Garoppolo didn’t need surgery and insisted it was the sprain that challenged Garoppolo’s status for Sunday.

“Anytime there’s a bone that has something on it, you can call it a fracture, you can call it a chip, you can call it something, but that really doesn’t stop it,” Shanahan said. “It’s the third degree sprain he has. But because it doesn’t move and stuff, he doesn’t need surgery and he has a chance to play this week.”

Rookie Trey Lance took over all repetitions with the starting offensive on Monday and did this again on Wednesday with Garoppolo.

If Lance gets the nod, it would only be his second NFL start after standing up for Garoppolo against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct.10. As of 2017, the Niners are 30-14 in his starts and 7-28 in games started by all the other quarterbacks.

For his part, Garoppolo said whether he plays depends on how he can grab and throw the ball. Suffering the injury late in the second quarter of the Titans loss, he ended the game despite throwing a poor interception to open the third quarter.

Garoppolo added that he had tweaked his throwing movement as the game progressed to compensate for the injury, although he downplayed its severity on the sideline and did not bring it to the media after the loss.

“It’s a torn ligament, so it is what it is,” said Garoppolo. “The pain, it’s not going anywhere so I know how that feels but it’s just about being confident and going out and being able to do what I normally do with football. We will see where it takes us, but I feel good. ” now with it. “

With Garoppolo battling the thumb injury and players across the league being on the reserve / COVID-19 list, the Niners are also taking additional steps to protect all of their players, including the quarterbacks.

San Francisco signed quarterback Tyler Bray to the training team on Wednesday, where he joins veteran Nate Sudfeld behind Garoppolo and Lance.

Shanahan said the team also switched all meetings to virtual on Wednesday, two days after the player added Mitch Wishnowsky as the team’s first player on the COVID list since August.

“We’ve been pretty lucky so far to only have one man on the ground,” said Shanahan. “But just watching the world and watching everyone, knowing that it’s a matter of time, looks like this, so let’s just try to be careful and keep everyone separate until we go outside.”

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The Texans selected Tytus Howard in the first round of the 2019 draft, with the idea that he could be the club’s long-term solution in the left tackle. The election was seen as some sort of reach and perhaps a panic move after the Eagles skipped Houston to pick Andre Dillard, who was the superior candidate. A few months later, the Texans switched a trade for LT Laremy Tunsil, and Howard opened his rookie season as the starting RT.

A ruptured meniscus ended Howard’s rookie campaign after just eight games. The lack of practices due to the pandemic also hurt.

He still started 2020 with 14 games on RT and was ranked 61st best tackle by Pro Football Focus out of 79 qualifiers. Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson attributes that less-than-impressive ranking to a slow start caused by off-season problems and the fact that Howard continually bailed out former right-wing security guard Zach Fulton, who dropped 11 bags last year had to. Nonetheless, the team is now moving Howard into the interior and will place him at the left guard, according to Wilson.

Howard played a game at LG in 2019, and the team tested him in several different positions during training camp this year. But he was deployed on the left guard during the preseason game against the Cowboys last week, and that’s where he will open the 2021 season. He’s got the size, strength, and vicious streak to thrive inside, and between Tunsil on the left and the new center Justin Britt on the right, it will surely help.

2020 four-rounder Charlie Heck is expected to start the season on RT, but Howard is ready to step back outward if necessary.

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The Houston Texans’ decision to sign veteran journeyman Tyrod Taylor earlier in the off-season was not necessarily seen as a harbinger of things to come. The signing could have taken place under star quarterback Deshaun Watson, who asked for a deal. But that’s pretty much the extent.

Fast forward a few months and that’s no longer the case. After the first selection in the 2021 NFL Draft for former Stanford quarterback Davis Mills, it is firmly believed that the Texans are different from Mr. Watson.

“Teams I’ve spoken to in the league are finding that the Houston Texans are slowly departing from Deshaun Watson because they have their bridge quarterback in Tyrod Taylor and their development draft pick in Davis Mills, a quarterback I ‘. I’ve said they get on really well with his instincts, intelligence and big arm, “ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently noted (h / t Bleacher Report).

All of this has an obvious background. Rumors of Watson’s dissatisfaction with the Houston Texans gave way back in March to a more notable story in which the quarterback was accused of sexual assault. Since then, women north of 20 have made similar allegations in civil cases.

While the legal situation has not yet been resolved in a civil court, the Houston Police Department has launched a criminal investigation into the allegations. Meanwhile, Roger Goodell and the NFL have launched their own investigation under the guise of the Code of Conduct.

Did the Houston Texans show their hand with Deshaun Watson?

December 20, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during the warm up before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

With no selection in either of the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft, Houston surprised the crowds by putting Mills at the top of the third round. While viewed as a project, don’t use that type of draft capital on a quarterback – they keep nothing but a backup.

These Texans not only added Taylor and Mills, but also traded for Ryan Finley from the fourth round of the Cincinnati Bengals. That’s three new quarterbacks in the mix months after Houston new general manager Nick Caserio even resisted the possibility of trading with Watson. Houston could be gearing up for some end of NFL action when it comes to Watson.

What’s next for Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans?

December 27, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) warms up before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

It is more than likely that Watson will be put on the commissioner’s exception list later this summer in case the legal situation does not peak in the near future. At this rate, there is no reason to believe that Watson’s legal team will reach an out-of-court settlement. This will lead to a lengthy process.

Recent reports have shown that Watson is likely to be suspended from the NFL before the legal situation in the Houston area emerges. The league reserves the right to suspend a player without charge in a criminal court or conviction. That is another important setting.

Should Watson be cleared of these allegations in time for the start of the 2021 NFL season, there is now every reason to believe the Texans will have trade talks with teams. That market could also be curtailed after interested teams from the San Francisco 49ers (Trey Lance), Chicago Bears (Justin Fields) and New England Patriots (Mac Jones) added quarterbacks to the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

WATCH: Sportsnaut’s Carolyn Manno on the latest NFL draft rumors

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