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Anthony Pleasant transitions to defensive assistant; Pat O'Hara named offensive assistant; Brian Bell hired as strength and conditioning assistant*

HOUSTON – The Houston Texans have hired Paul Pasqualoni as defensive line coach, Mike Devlin as offensive line coach, Pat O'Hara as offensive assistant and Brian Bell as a strength and conditioning assistant, the team announced today. In addition, Anthony Pleasant will now serve as a defensive assistant after spending the 2014 season as a strength and conditioning assistant.

Pasqualoni, who is entering his 40th season coaching at the collegiate or pro level, was the defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears in 2014. Pasqualoni's unit accounted for 35 of the Bears' 39 sacks in his only season with the team.

A former collegiate head coach at Syracuse (1991-04), Connecticut (2011-13) and Western Connecticut State (1982-86), Pasqualoni began his NFL coaching career as the tight ends coach for the Dallas Cowboys in 2005. He was the linebackers coach for the Cowboys from 2006-07 and served as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins from 2008-09. Pasqualoni returned to Dallas in 2010 as the team's defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.

In his 14 years as the head coach at Syracuse, Pasqualoni led the team to 107 wins, four Big East conference titles and nine bowl games, including two Fiesta Bowl appearances and to the Orange Bowl in the first season of the Bowl Championship Series. The former Penn State linebacker also served as the linebackers coach at Syracuse (1987-90), and as an assistant coach (1976-79) and defensive coordinator (1980-81) at Southern Connecticut State. Pasqualoni began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1972, Cheshire High School in Connecticut.

Devlin comes to Houston following a nine-year stint with the New York Jets (2006-14) where he served as tight ends coach (2006-12) and offensive line coach (2013-14). The Jets finished third in the NFL in 2014 with 142.5 yards rushing per game and had three games with more than 200 yards rushing in 2014, including a 277-yard effort against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13, both of which were AFC highs. Prior to New York, Devlin spent two years as the offensive line coach at the University of Toledo (2004-05). The 45-year-old Devlin began his coaching career with the Arizona Cardinals, where he served as offensive quality control coach (2000) and assistant offensive line coach (2001-03). A fifth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 1993, Devlin played seven years in the NFL with Buffalo (1993-95) and the Arizona Cardinals (1996-99).

O'Hara has spent the last 10 years coaching in the Arena Football League, including stints as a head coach for the Tri-Cities Fever (AF2, 2009), Orlando Predators (2010-11) and New Orleans Voo Doo (2012-14). He began his AFL career as a quarterback for Orlando in 1995 and he helped his teams win three of the five ArenaBowls he played in. O'Hara's coaching career began in 1996, as the quarterbacks coach at Point Loma High School in California while playing for Orlando. The former USC Trojan was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 10th round of the 1991 NFL Draft and spent time with the San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins. . He most recently served as the director of player personnel for the Jacksonville Sharks in the AFL before accepting his position with the Texans. 

Pleasant was the defensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2010-12 after working with the team as part of the NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship in 2009. The former defensive lineman played 14 seasons in the NFL, including separate stints under Texans Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel's guidance with the New York Jets (1998-99) and New England Patriots (2001-03). He joined the Texans as a strength and conditioning assistant in 2014.

Bell worked with Texans Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Craig Fitzgerald's staff at Penn State from 2012-13. Prior to accepting his position with the Texans, Bell was co-owner of the Athletic Factory, a sports performance center in Bowie, Md. From 2011-12, Bell served as the head football strength and conditioning coach at his high school alma mater, DeMatha Catholic, in Hyattsville, Md. A former tight end and fullback at Kent State from 2002-06, Bell played on Washington's practice squad in 2007.