The Houston Texans are looking to their past to get better in the future. The team announced a series of changes to Bill O'Brien's coaching staff on Tuesday, including the hiring of former players T.J. Yates and Brian Cushing as offensive and strength-and-conditioning assistants, respectively. Former tight ends coach Tim Kelly has also been promoted to offensive coordinator.

Yates' most notable time as an NFL signal-caller came early in his career when injuries forced him into action for the Texans. He started 13 regular-season games for Houston from 2011 to 2013, in addition to a pair of playoff games as a rookie in 2011. The fifth-round pick threw for 159 yards and one touchdown in his team's 31-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2011 playoffs, but struggled immensely against the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round, throwing three interceptions in a losing effort. Yates last played in 2017, starting four games for the Buffalo Bills at the end of the season.

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Cushing's history with the franchise is far more notable. The 2009 first-round pick spent the entirety of his nine-year career in Houston, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and being named to two All-Pro teams. But injuries slowed the notoriously-physical linebacker down after his first few years in the league, as did a second positive test for performance-enhancing drugs in 2017 that cost him the first 10 games of the season. He retired as the Texans' all-time leading tackler in February of last year.

Kelly, meanwhile, was first hired by the Texans in 2014 as offensive quality control coach. He was promoted to tight ends coach in 2017, and will now design an offense led by franchise player DeShaun Watson, one of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the league.