The Houston Texans are still reveling in their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and rival teams are already plotting ways to get a piece of their success. The most immediate could come in the form of a loss from head coach DeMeco Ryans’ coaching staff.
Ryans is in his third season as the Texans’ HC, and he has led them to the postseason in all three campaigns, while they also boasted the NFL’s No. 1 overall unit on that side in 2025.
For that, the Texans could lose defensive coordinator Matt Burke.
Texans HC DeMeco Ryans Could Lose Trusted Assistant
GettyHouston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans looks on after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers.
Burke joined Ryans’ Texans staff in 2023, five seasons after the former’s last stint as a coordinator with the Miami Dolphins (2017 and 2018). His name has been popular in speculation about the many openings around the league.
A new report marks that speculation becoming a reality.
“The Cardinals have requested to interview Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke, per source,” The Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini reported in a post on X on January 13.
Burke coached the Cardinals’ defensive line in 2022, one season before he joined Ryans in Houston. The Texans have improved their rankings in yards allowed and takeaways in each of the past two seasons.
They have ranked no worse than sixth in either metric over the past two seasons.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler also noted in December that Burke was expected to garner interest this offseason among a plethora of his fellow defensive assistants.
Burke has an advantage over many DCs in his position. Most hold the title while deferring to the head coach regarding play-calling duties. That would be a significant roadblock, given Ryans’ reputation as a coordinator before he became the Texans’ head coach.
Burke does not have that issue, taking over duties from Ryans amid the Texans’ 0-3 start.
Matt Burke Could Land Close to Home
GettyHouston Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke looks on against the Tennessee Titans.
Russini previously reported that Burke was expected to draw interest from the Texans’ AFC South rivals, the Tennessee Titans.
“Tennessee also plans to reach out to several defensive coordinators, including … the Houston Texans’ Matt Burke,” Russini wrote in December. “As is often the case with defensive-minded candidates, the Titans’ first question will revolve around offensive staff construction, specifically, who these men would hire as offensive coordinator.”
Burke could also draw interest from the New York Giants.
“The one that I think we don’t give full credit to, who I kind of expect to be in this mix, Matt Burke, who’s the defensive coordinator of the Texans,” ESPN’s Jordan Raanan said on the “Breaking Big Blue” podcast in December.
“There’s been some buzz about that, where I think that might be something where he could he he could be in this mix.”
If the New England Patriots beat the Texans in the Divisional Round, the situation could escalate.
Texans Could Change Play-Callers in Back-to-Back Seasons
GettyHouston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans looks on against the Indianapolis Colts.
Burke’s departure would be another significant hit for Ryans and the Texans. They fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik following the 2024 season. That was one year after he was a hot head coaching candidate and returned for another season instead.
It took several weeks for the Texans to adjust to Slowik’s replacement, Nick Caley. Houston still finished with the 18th overall offense, though they did rank 13th in scoring.
No matter what happens, next season will have that added level of intrigue.
Texans Get Unfortunate News Before Facing Patriots in Divisional Round