Jack Easterby to serve as Houston Texans general manager for rest of season

Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Houston Texans executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby will take over general manager duties for the remainder of the 2020 season, team owner Cal McNair announced Wednesday.

"We will start a search for the head coach and a GM on a permanent basis," McNair said on the Texans' official radio show. "And at that time, Jack [Easterby] will switch back to the job he had before, which is in football ops."

McNair, who fired head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien on Monday after the Texans fell to 0-4 this season, said he plans to return the franchise to a traditional structure, with the roles of head coach and general manager held by separate people instead of only one.

McNair also noted that he has already started communicating with a search firm and wants to hire a general manager before a head coach to "use [the GM's] expertise to find the right head coach."

"We're going to do this the right way," said McNair, who plans to wait until after the season to make the hires.

Romeo Crennel -- the team's associate head coach -- was named the Texans' interim head coach Monday.

The Texans (0-4) host the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3) at 1 p.m. EST Sunday at NRG Stadium in Houston.