After four years in New England, Houston is reportedly heading to the University of Florida.
The New England Patriots and special teams assistant Joe Houston will go their separate ways in 2024. As first reported on Sunday, Houston is headed to the University of Florida where he will continue working in the kicking game after serving on the Patriots’ staff the last four years.
While his role was a less prominent one than that of his boss, special teams coordinator Cam Achord, he still had an active hand in coaching a unit that experienced its ups and downs the last few seasons. With that said, let’s take a look at what his departure for the Patriots means from a big-picture perspective.
More change is coming to the Patriots’ kicking game operation
The Patriots’ special teams group is bound to look dramatically different in 2024both on and off the field.
Houston will likely not be the only domino to fall. The expectation is that the aforementioned Cam Achord might leave as well, with new head coach Jerod Mayo having already interviewed potential replacement candidates.
Assistant head coach Joe Judge, who himself spent a considerable portion of his time with the kicking game in 2023, also is not guaranteed to return. There was speculation he would follow Bill Belichick to his next head coaching destination, but with the ex-Patriots coach unlikely to land anywhere in the NFL this year Judge’s future is uncertain as well.
The same is true for Troy Brown, who did not only coach wide receiver but kick returners as well. His job also might become open at one point in the future.
Then, there are the players. Veterans Matthew Slater and Cody Davis are both candidates for retirement, while Adrian Phillips — who played 70 percent of kicking game snaps last year — is no safe bet to be back either.
Another spot on the coaching staff has opened up
With Houston off to Florida, the Patriots now stand at four official openings to fill on their staff. Besides adding a new special teams assistant, they also need to replace Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and find a new defensive line coach with DeMarcus Covington promoted to defensive coordinator.
There is no shortage of candidates for all those spots, so let’s add one name to the mix as well: Matthew Slater.
As noted above, the 38-year-old is a candidate to end his legendary career this offseason. He has expressed his desire to stay connected with the Patriots in some capacity, and his status as a long-time team leader and one of the greatest special teamers in NFL history is obvious. Keeping him as a special teams assistant to both help replace Houston and aid whoever the new coordinator will be would make sense.
Obviously, though, this is all mere speculation. Slater has yet to announce any decision about his future, and Jerod Mayo will likely want to finalize his staff as quickly as possible.
Houston’s departure might help Chad Ryland
A former place kicker, who also filled that role during his brief professional career in the Arena Football League, Houston also worked closely with rookie kicker Chad Ryland in 2023. The Patriots’ fourth-round draft pick, of course, had his fair share of struggles and led the league in missed field goal attempts.
It became obvious something needs to change for Ryland in order to find consistent success at the next level. Maybe changing the personnel around him — starting with Joe Houston — will turn out to be a step in the right direction.