NFL Insider Floats Surprising Potential Team For Josh McDaniels

Is there a scenario where Josh McDaniels takes an NFL job that doesn't reunite him with Bill Belichick?

Albert Breer isn't ruling it out.

After flaming out of Las Vegas and failing as a head coach for the second time, McDaniels' options on the open market might be limited. Most have assumed the longtime offensive coach will follow Belichick wherever he goes following his departure from the New England Patriots.

That very well could prove to be the case, but Breer is keeping his eye on a dark horse landing spot for McDaniels. The Sports Illustrated scribe sees a path to Houston if the Texans end up losing offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson.

"I wonder whether the Texans would make a call to Josh McDaniels, given his track record with young quarterbacks, and the presence of his college teammate Nick Caserio in Houston (McDaniels' brother, Ben, is also on staff there)," Breer wrote in a column published Tuesday.

Houston would present an exciting opportunity for McDaniels, as quarterback C.J. Stroud is a superstar in the making and is surrounded by a talented supporting cast. But as Breer noted, it probably would take two departures for the Texans to even consider McDaniels, who might prefer to link back up with Belichick anyway.

So, we probably shouldn't count on Houston as McDaniels' next step, and New England seemingly is out of the question as well.