The Falcons are in the early stages of finding a head coach as they’ve sent out nearly a dozen requests to interview candidates. This continues a series where I profile each candidate who has received an interview request, moving on to the Texans’ offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik. If you’ve missed any other parts, follow the links below.
Falcons head coach candidate profile: Ben Johnson
Falcons head coach candidate: Bobby Slowik
Outside of Ben Johnson, nobody is a hotter name, in terms of offensive wizards, than Bobby Slowik, who got his start like so many others under Mike Shanahan with the Washington Redskins.
From 2011 to 2013, he coached under the elder Shanahan then joined the younger Shanahan in San Francisco in 2017 as a defensive quality control coach. Two years later, Slowik became an offensive assistant then in 2021 became the offensive pass game specialist and then offensive passing game coordinator. His big break came last year when Demeco Ryans was named the Texans’ head coach.
After just one season as Houston’s offensive coordinator, Slowik is already being considered the next great offensive mind in the Shanahan tree. To be fair, not a single hire has gone awry, so it’s a good bet if you’re the Falcons.
He’s helped C.J. Stroud to an Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign. The Ohio State product has thrown for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns and looks like a franchise quarterback for the Texans; he credits his offensive coordinator with a lot of his success.
“[Slowik] helped me tremendously,” Stroud said to ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime. “He’s one of the people I appreciate because he’s honest with me. He holds me accountable game in and game out, no matter how good people say [I played] — he always has a coaching point or two to hit, and he’s always honest, which I appreciate.”
Nico Collins eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards and more than doubled his career output, and Tank Dell has emerged as a dynamic weapon as well, which bodes well for Atlanta’s trio of stars in Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and Drake London.
He’s only 36 years old, but the results speak for themselves. Stroud became the fifth rookie passer in league history to throw for 4,000 yards during the regular season, joining Andrew Luck, Justin Herbert, Cam Newton, and Jameis Winston.
In his first year as a play-caller, Slowik revamped Houston’s offense into one of the league’s more consistent units a year removed from one of its worst finishes. Under Pep Hamilton, the Texans ranked 31st in total yards (283.5) and scoring (17 points per game). Under Slowik, Houston ranked 12th in total yards (342.4) and 14th in scoring (22.2 points per contest). Granted, Pep Hamilton was working with Davis Mills, but still, that kind of improvement is notable.
The Falcons skill position group is certainly more dangerous than the Texans, but Bobby Slowik isn’t a miracle worker. Atlanta will have to give him a quarterback; however, that’s the case with every head coach candidate. Slowik is the next Shanahan disciple, and the Falcons could very well become the next prolific offense in the league.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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