Over the course of three years, Nick Caley has gone from New England Patriots tight ends coach to one of the most pivotal coaching roles in the league.
ESPN’s Kevin Clark went a step further, naming Caley as “one of the most important people in the NFL this year.” That’s because, as first-year offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans, Caley will have the fate of quarterback C.J. Stroud in his hands.
“He’s one of the most important people in the NFL this year, because it’s his job to get an elite quarterback back on track,” Clark said on ESPN’s “NFL Live.”
Stroud, the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023, took a step back in 2024. The blame for Stroud’s struggles were pinned on former Houston offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
Slowik had been one of the NFL’s hottest assistant coaches. But after a disastrous 2024, he was suddenly fired.
Now, the Texans are turning to Caley, who spent eight seasons in New England. In 2023, Caley jumped to the Los Angeles Rams, where he was the tight ends coach and later added passing game coordinator to his responsibilities.
Clark seems to think Caley is a major upgrade over his predecessor.
“He worked for Sean McVay and Bill Belichick. Those are two pretty good coaches to work under, if you haven’t noticed. But when you’re a passing game coordinator for Sean McVay, you’re not calling the shots. So, this is a huge leap up for him. For me, with the Texans, do not attribute to the quarterback what you can attribute to the offensive line and to the playcaller. Last year, it was bad.”
One thing Clark noted as a positive was the way Stroud talked about Caley’s offense. Clark noted that Stroud praised the new offense for giving him control at the line of scrimmage.
Handing responsibility to Stroud at the line of scrimmage allows the quarterback to change plays and protections to better adapt to what the defense is doing.
In Clark’s eyes, that’s not something Slowik did.
“Bobby Slowik did not give him that. I felt that Bobby Slowik’s protection schemes were, frankly, at some points amateurish last year,” Clark said.
This year marks Caley’s first as an NFL offensive coordinator. He’d been viewed as a rising star in the coaching world since his days in New England. He was, at one point, perceived as a candidate to take over as offensive coordinator.
Instead, the 2022 season saw Matt Patricia and Joe Judge handle offensive coordinator duties – with disastrous results.
In 2023, Caley interviewed for the offensive coordinator job in New England, only for the job to go to Bill O’Brien. In 2024, the Patriots reportedly tried to lure Caley away from the Rams to no avail.