Head coach Bill O'Brien adds Houston Texans GM title

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Bill O'Brien has been calling the plays for the Houston Texans since 2014. Now, he gets to call the shots on who gets to play for the team.

The team announced Tuesday that O'Brien will add general manager on top of his head coaching responsibilities. The Texans also promoted Jack Easterby as executive vice president of football operations. Easterby served as the executive vice president of team development.

Heading into the 2019 season, the Texans decided against hiring a full-time general manager following the firing of Brian Gaine.

Without a GM, O'Brien won his second straight AFC South title, as well as just his second playoff game in Houston.

In a statement, Texans owner Cal McNair said O'Brien and Easterby's promotions were made to "more accurately reflect the way we have been operating for the past eight months."

"I was encouraged by the progress that our team made on the field this year which was due in part to our new structure, operating approach and the leaders within our football operations group," McNair said.

O'Brien and Easterby have plenty of personnel decisions to look forward to, including looking at possible upgrades at running back and the secondary. There is also the issue of whether to extend the contract of quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has a club option in 2021 but could leave as an unrestricted free agent in 2022.