It didn’t take long after the Texans hired Bill O’Brien to be their head coach before word that Romeo Crennel would come onboard as the defensive coordinator surfaced.
It’s been some time since that surfacing, but the Texans have finally made Crennel’s hire official. The former Browns and Chiefs head coach will run the defense on O’Brien’s first staff in Houston.
The Texans announced 16 coaching hires in all on Wednesday as well as passing along word that Bob Ligashesky has been retained as special teams coordinator. The release from the team also made official the previously reported hires of quarterbacks coach George Godsey and linebackers coach Mike Vrabel.
“We’ve put together a great staff of enthusiastic and passionate coaches with good character who have successful backgrounds in coaching,” O’Brien said in a statement. “It was important to put together a group who will be great teachers and I’m excited to begin our preparations for the 2014 season.”
The other new hires are: Jim Bernhardt (director of football research), John Butler (secondary), Doug Colman (assistant special teams), Paul Dunn (offensive line), Craig Fitzgerald (head strength and conditioning), Sean Hayes (assistant strength and conditioning), Stan Hixon (wide receivers), Tim Kelly (offensive quality control), Will Lawing (defensive quality control), Charles London (running backs), Anthony Midget (assistant secondary), John Perry (tight ends) and Anthony Pleasant (assistant strength and conditioning).
Bernhardt, Butler, Fitzgerald, Hayes, Hixon, Kelly, Lawing, London and Midget all come to Houston after working under O’Brien at Penn State.