Houston Texans Are Building Quite The Roster
It has been a rough three-year stretch for a team that from 2011-19 was collecting AFC South titles at an impressive rate. Unfortunately, it all started to come apart for the Houston Texans in 2020. And this decade, the club owns a distressing 11-38-1 combined win-loss record.
During the 2021 offseason, the team added 30-plus veterans via free agency and trades and it lacked a lot of big names. Less is more was ignored. All told, there was such a randomness to what the franchise was doing.
This year, the Texans’ offseason additions seem to make a lot more sense. General manager Nick Caserio seems to have a plan. The hiring of former Texans’ Pro Bowl linebacker/turned 49ers’ defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as head coach has apparently made Houston a top free-agent destination.
Help For The Offense
The team has been able to sign a number of quality players and traded for guard Shaq Mason, late of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Other key offensive additions include running back Devin Singletary (Bills), wide receivers Robert Woods (Titans) and Noah Brown (Cowboys) and tight end Dalton Schultz (Cowboys). Houston finished next-to-last in the league in 2022 in total offense, rushing offense and points per game, the latter tied with the division rival Colts.
Equal Time For The Defense
A pair of former 49ers head the list of newcomers hoping to bolster the NFL’s 30th-ranked defense, which finished dead last against the run this past year. The latter aspect has actually been an issue for the past three seasons. Safety Jimmie Ward and defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway and joined by interior presence Sheldon Rankins (Jets), linebackers Denzel Perryman (Raiders) and Cory Littleton (Panthers) and edge rusher Chase Winovich (Browns). The special teams get a boost with the signing of speedy Steven Sims (Steelers).
Caserio and Ryans also have a dozen draft picks at their disposal in April, including the second overall selection and the No. 12 pick. Turning things around in the NFL after just one awful season(s) has been well-documented. Can he Texans put it all together after a dismal three-year stretch?
