"I told those guys, this may have been our only shot," Campbell told reporters after the NFC title game. "And it's gonna be twice as hard to get back to this point next year than it was this year."
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This season, the Houston Texans have demonstrated some striking parallels with the team in the Motor City - a team with promise but not on many people's radars that blew expectations out of the water.
The Texans earned the AFC South championship and a playoff victory from a turnaround sparked by head coach DeMeco Ryans' arrival on Jan. 31, 2023. Behind Ryans was offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who, like the head coach, spent years behind Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco only to make the Texans' playcalling job the first of his career.
Slowik took over a bottom-eight passing offense and transformed it into one ranked in the top six among high-powered offenses in Kansas City and, of course, Detroit, where his counterpart, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, helped spearhead a culture change similar to Houston.
Having C.J. Stroud fearlessly make plays can do that.
SEE ALSO: CJ Stroud faces Dallas Cowboys for 1st time next season
Slowik and Detroit's Johnson were top candidates in this offseason's head-coaching hiring cycle, with the former interviewing for five vacancies.
Cut to Tuesday, when sources confirmed to ESPN that Slowik, with two job openings remaining, elected to return to Houston for 2024.
While returning to or exceeding a 10-win season can be "twice as hard," the move indicates the possibility of "running it back." Ryans' quarterbacks coach, Jerrod Johnson, is also returning, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Houston's Johnson attracted attention with at least six teams looking for offensive playcallers.
What has Slowik meant to Stroud, who came from Ohio State - a school that underwhelmed with stud QB prospects in the NFL?
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The 21-year-old threw for 4,108 yards, becoming the fifth rookie to throw for over 4,000 yards. He led the league in touchdown-to-interception ratio (23-to-5), the first rookie to do so, and averaged the most passing yards per game (273.9).
"Bobby was always on me about the little details in my position, and I appreciated that because you don't always get that. He was always just hard on me, but also showed me a lot of love -- a ton of love," Stroud said on Jan. 22, following the 34-10 divisional-round loss to the Baltimore Ravens. "Very knowledgeable, can really dice a defense up. Puts a lot of trust in his players and really just never got away from what he knows. Of course, he tailored his coaching to what was here at the Texans, but he did what was at the core of his heart, and I could appreciate that."
ESPN reports Slowik's new contract includes a significant raise.
SEE MORE: Oilers great says 'sky is the limit' for CJ Stroud as key Texans coaches return for 2024
One year of Ryans
Slowik and Jerrod Johnson's returns may have never been possible without their head coach's impact over the last 12 months.
DeMeco Ryans' return to Houston as the Texans' culture-shaper after multiple years of defeat and reputation-ruining couldn't have been understated on Wednesday, the first anniversary of his arrival.
SEE ALSO: CJ Stroud's AP Offensive Rookie of the Year nomination headlines Texans up for prestigious awards
The team listed the former Texans linebacker's accomplishments in his own rookie year, including earning an AP Coach of the Year nomination and the Pro Football Writers' Association's Coach of the Year award.
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NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport remarked on Ryans' impact while reporting Jerrod Johnson's return.
"A big day for the Texans. The effects of having DeMeco Ryans and CJ Stroud," Rapoport posted on social media.
With Ryans' influence, the Texans came away with the Offensive Rookie of the Year, Stroud, and No. 3 pick Will Anderson Jr., who was reportedly at the top of the defensive coach's wishlist.
The duo can potentially be a significant player in AFC playoff runs in years to come.
And it all started with Ryans.
Now, which free agents can the Texans attract with all this promise and reported $65 million salary cap space?
ESPN and the Associated Press contributed to this report.