Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans is not ruling out a change.
“We’ll see how all that goes,” Ryans told reporters on October 5 during his final availability of Week 4. “We’ll see how all that goes.”
That was in direct response to a question asking if he had given any though to possibly taking over play-calling duties. Those responsibilities currently fall on fourth-year defensive coordinator Matt Burke.
Burke arrived in Houston with Ryans.
However, it was not until after the Texans’ 0-3 start to the 2025 regular season that Ryans opted to turn over play-calling duties to Burke. Their first game after the change was a 27-0 win over the Tennessee Titans.
DeMeco Ryans Leaves Door Open for Major Change
The Texans finished the 2025 regular season ranked first overall and second is scoring on the defensive side of the ball with Burke calling plays after Ryans turned the duties over.
This season has been a different story.
The 2026 Texans rank 21st overall and 26th in scoring, seeing a striking decline from boasting the sixth-best pass defense last season to 28th this year. Their turnover rate has also dropped by more than half year-over-year.
Burke was notably among the candidates for head coaching vacancies this past offseason taking an interview with the Arizona Cardinals.
The Texans appeared fortunate to retain him.
It remains unclear how Burke is viewed at this point, and there remains a long way to go in the 2026 season. The mere consideration from Ryans is telling, though, and cannot be good news for Burke’s profile as a potential head coaching candidate during the next hiring cycle.
DeMeco Ryans Reaching Critical Point
Ryans has been on the Texans’ defense hard in the aftermath of their fourth straight loss, but previously faced criticism over the offense under coordinator Nick Caley and still do.
Ryans said then that there were no plans to make any changes.
The Texans scored 30 points in Week 4, just their second time surpassing even the 20-point threshold. However, they surrendered 34 points. They have allowed opponents to score 20-plus points in three of four outings.
It is also important to note that the Texans started 0-3 in two of Ryans’ previous three seasons, including 2025, and they were 0-2 in 2024 before turning it around.
They have made the playoffs in each of Ryans’ preceding campaigns.
Texans on Brink of Historic Odds With Slump-Busting Titans Up Next
Much was made about the Texans and comparisons to the 1992 Chargers, then in San Diego, the only 0-4 team in NFL history to make the postseason.
That, naturally, means, the Texans will have essentially eliminated themselves from contention (statistically speaking) just five weeks–less than one-third–into the 2026 regular season with another loss.
The good news for Ryans and the Texans is that they face the Titans in Week 5.
Their AFC South rivals are winless on the young season, just as they were before the Texans shut them out in Week 4 in 2025.
The stage is set for Ryans and the Texans to mount another in-season comeback, but it must begin with a win over the Titans on the road in Week 5. Otherwise, the calls for changes and jobs will only grow louder.
Texans HC DeMeco Ryans Leaves Door Open for Major Change