The Houston Texans have made their first significant staff changes of the 2026 offseason. KPRC’s Aaron Wilson reports that the team is moving on from tight ends coach Jake Moreland, assistant linebacker coach Ben Bolling, and offensive assistant Mike Snyder:
All three coaches have spent multiple years on Houston’s staff, and now all will be casualties of the 2025 season.
Jake Moreland had just finished his third year as the tight ends coach for the Houston Texans in 2025, leading starting TE Dalton Schultz to his most productive season with the Texans. Schultz finished the season with 82 receptions on 106 targets (77.4 Ctch%) for 777 yards and 3 touchdowns. Schultz never broke 100+ receiving yards in a game in 2025, but was instrumental in keeping the Texans on the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, and Indianapolis Colts. Besides Schutlz, backup TE Cade Stover had 12 receptions on 16 targets (75 Ctch%) for 76 yards, a disappointing showing by Houston’s #2 TE, but he demonstrated moderate improvement in blocking and when the Texans ran the tush push play on 4th-and-short.
Before joining the Texans in 2023, Moreland spent one year as the Denver Broncos tight ends coach, one year as the New York Jets assistant offensive line coach, and a combined 18 years as a coach in the collegiate ranks for Elmhurst college (2003), Saint Joseph’s (2004), Western Michigan (2005-11, 2017-20), Air Force (2012-14, 2016), and Syracuse (2015). Before his coaching career, Moreland was one of Western Michigan’s most prolific tight ends in school history, and went on to play two seasons in the NFL, one for the New York Jets (2000) and one for the Cleveland Browns (2001). Even though the tight ends’ room was not the most productive in 2025, I find Moreland’s departure a bit head scratching. Under his tutelage, Dalton Schultz had three great years in Houston and became one of QB CJ Stroud’s favorite targets. It would have been interesting to see if Moreland would have held onto his position as tight ends coach if TE Brevin Jordan had remained healthy for the 2025 season and functioned as the extra blocking/receiving tight end the Texans were searching for. Instead of Jordan, Moreland had to rely more on Stover and trade acquisition Harrison Bryant, who played adequately, but clearly not well enough to give Moreland job security.
Mike Snyder is the least tenured of the three coaches fired yesterday, just finishing his second season with Houston as an offensive assistant. There was no cutting around the disappointment on offense this season, as the team finished 13th in points, 18th in yards, and 29th in red zone scoring percentage (45.9%). Snyder is credited with working with the wide receivers in 2024, where Nico Collins tallied 1,006 receiving yards and earned his first pro-bowl nod, Tank Dell tallied 667 receiving yards before his injury, and free agent acquisition Stefon Diggs totaled 496 receiving yards before his injury.
Before joining the Texans in 2024, Snyder served as a football analyst for the Atlanta Falcons (2022-2023), and the assistant quarterbacks coach (2021) and offensive quality control coach for the Chicago Bears (2018-2021). Like Moreland, it can be debated whether or not Snyder deserved to be let go, but after the very disappointing finish in the divisional round against the New England Patriots, few NFL coaching staffs would survive without a few heads rolling.
Ben Bolling is, at least to me, the most surprising termination of the group. Bolling, a former wide receivers and safeties coach at Campbell University, was a part of Houston’s defensive coaching staff since general manager Nick Caserio’s first year with the Texans in 2021. Serving as a defensive assistant in his first four years with the Texans, Bolling was present at the foundation of the current regime’s magnum opus: the defense. That side of the ball improved year after year, and after being promoted assistant linebacker coach in 2025, Bolling contributed to one of the best position groups in the country.
Both starting LBs, Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o, expedited Houston’s ascension to the defensive throne by having career years, each just a season removed from their previous highs in 2024. Al-Shaair finished his 2025 campaign with 16 starts, a team-leading 103 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 QB hits, 9 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. With a season like that, Al-Shaair earned his first pro-bowl selection of his career in 2025, cementing him as one of Houston’s best defenders. To’oTo’o finished his third year in the NFL with 14 starts, 95 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 4 QB hits, 2.5 sacks, 4 pass deflections, and 1 fumble recovery. Both were stars at their positions last season, and both improved on their #1 issues: pass coverage. To’oTo’o’s pass coverage was Patriots QB Drake Maye’s kryptonite in the divisional round game, so it’s unfortunate that not only was that performance not enough to win the game, but also not enough to save Bolling’s job.
What do you think of these firings, though? Were you prepared for some departures on both sides of the ball, or did Bolling’s departure surprise you as much as it did me? Was there someone else you’d rather have seen gone, or even someone you hope they pick up in place of these coaches? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below!
Go Texans!
