The Texans identified Eagles vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas as a candidate for their General Manager vacancy, but they were reportedly rebuffed in their effort to interview him for the job.
Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reports that the Eagles declined to give the Texans permission to speak to Douglas about the opening created when Rick Smith took a leave from the team to be with his wife while she battles breast cancer. Smith is expected to return to the team as the executive vice president of football operations, but a new G.M. will presumably be in place by that point.
The Eagles are able to block Douglas from interviewing as long as they are in the playoffs, but their ability to do so will end when they are eliminated unless Douglas is given final say on decisions in the team’s personnel department. It seems unlikely Howie Roseman would give that up, although the Texans may hire someone else in the interim and Douglas may not want to leave Philadelphia.
Douglas joined the Eagles in 2016 after a short stint with the Bears and a long run in the Ravens organization. Packers exec Brian Gutekunst is set to interview with the Texans on Sunday.