The Houston Texans will have one of the best kick returners of the 2010s on their coaching staff for this spring.
According to ESPN's D.J. Bien-Aime, the Texans will be bringing on former Pro Bowl running back Darren Sproles to their coaching staff this spring as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
The move effectively brings on a former teammate of now-Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans to the staff, who played together with the Philadelphia Eagles for two seasons from 2014 to 2015.
The Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship has been an ongoing league program for the past three-plus decades that allows coaches to observe, participate, and gain experience alongside an NFL staff during offseason training and preseason with the ultimate goal of preparing them for future coaching positions.
For coaches to be eligible for the fellowship, they must have either been a former NFL player, or had coaching experience in any rank between high school, college, or the pros.
Sproles happens to check two of those boxes. Not only was he a tenured running back in the league, but he's also had a fondness for coaching since retiring in 2019 as well.
For Sproles, he had previously logged interest in getting into coaching, who spoke about the idea earlier in 2025 on Up & Adams .
"I feel like my next calling is to coach," Sproles said about coaching last November. " I feel like with me starting high school coaching a little bit. I love it, and I feel like that's my next calling... I just love the day-to-day grind of preparation. That's what I feel like I'm missing."
Before joining the Texans, he was listed as a personnel consultant with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was also the varsity running backs coach at Oaks Christian School in California back in 2025.
Now, he's able to take his coaching career one step further in the NFL by joining Ryan's staff to work with Houston, and join alongside a former teammate from these Eagles days in the process.
Sproles had played 14 years in the league after being a fifth-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, being with the Philadelphia Eagles, San Diego Chargers , and New Orleans Saints throughout his time playing.
He had three straight years from 2014 to 2016 of being a Pro Bowler due to his excellence in the return game, leading the league in punt return yards in 2014 and 2015, and even made his way to an All-Pro selection with the Eagles back in 2014.
Dec 14, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles (43) scores a touchdown in the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images | James Lang-Imagn Images
On the offensive side, Sproles shined as a versatile weapon as well , collecting over 8,000 yards from scrimmage across his decade-plus in the league, having his best season in 2011 with the New Orleans Saints, where he posted 1,313 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns.
Having him in the building for the Texans' offseason is sure to be an awesome presence to have onboard, and could eventually lead to something bigger for Sproles as the program is designed to do.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as Texans Add Former Pro Bowl RB to DeMeco Ryans' Coaching Staff .
