Former Lions WR coach Robert Prince reportedly hired by Houston Texans

Now that the excitement is over, why don’t we catch up on some news over the weekend that may have slipped through the cracks here at Pride of Detroit?

According to several sources now, former Lions wide receivers coach Robert Prince has been hired by the Houston Texans to the same position. Late last week, it was clear the Lions were moving on when Prince had been removed from the team’s official website. As of Tuesday, the Texans had not made the hire official, although Prince has since confirmed it via social media.

Prince was the longest-tenured coach on the Lions’ staff, with his contributions dating back to 2014. He was extremely well-liked by Lions players, providing energy from the sidelines that receivers clearly responded to. He helped turn Kenny Golladay into a top-10 receiver, while also overseeing the best seasons of Marvin Jones Jr. and Golden Tate’s career. Even Calvin Johnson still remains in contact with Prince.

That leaves wide receivers coach as one of the few remaining vacancies on the Lions’ new coaching staff. Last week, the Lions reached out to former NFL receiver Hines Ward and son of Rex Ryan, Seth Ryan, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Additionally, Birkett mentioned Antwaan Randle El as a possible candidate for the job. Randle El, another former NFL receiver, is currently an offensive assistant for the Super Bowl-bound Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If he’s the Lions hire, Detroit will have to wait until after Super Bowl Sunday.

In addition to a wide receivers coach, the Lions still need to hire a defensive line coach, an outside linebackers coach, and a running game coordinator (presumably).