With the Super Bowl behind us, teams are forced to move on from the 2022 season and look towards 2023. In a series of articles, we will recap the past season, and look at how teams are positioned at their skill positions for next September.
Houston Texans
Current Available Cap Space: $24.045 Million
Upcoming Draft Picks: Round 1 (2nd, 12th), Round 2 (33rd), Round 3 (65th, 73rd), Round 4 (104th), Round 5 (161st), Round 6 (188th, 201st, 203rd), Round 7 (230th, 259th)
The Houston Texans stumbled their way to the 2nd overall pick after a dismal 3-13-1 season in which they finished 31st in defensive rating, 32nd in offensive rating and 32nd in overall rating. They moved on from head coach Lovie Smith, and will begin 2023 with DeMeco Ryans as their 4th head coach in the past 4 years, after amassing a total of 11 wins over the past 3 seasons.
Despite their lack of success, last year’s draft was the only time they had a first round pick since 2019 after overpaying to acquire Laremy Tunsil to protect Deshaun Watson’s blindside, who was subsequently suspended and then traded. The Texans received a king’s ransom for their former franchise quarterback but unfortunately their early returns on their 1st round picks from 2022 haven’t been good.
With another two firsts in the coming draft, the Texans will most certainly be drafting their next franchise quarterback and hope to add some offensive weapons to make his transition into the NFL that much smoother.
Coaching:
DeMeco Ryans was a hot commodity as teams raced to fill their vacant head coaching positions at the conclusion of the 2022 season. Coming off an impressive year as the 49ers defensive coordinator, he was heavily linked to be the next head coach for a few teams, most notably Denver before they opted to trade for and sign Sean Payton.
The Texans were lucky to land the rookie head coach, as Ryans, who was drafted by and played linebacker for the organization, has a strong reputation throughout the league. A reputation that was earned from both his time on the sidelines and as a locker room leader during his playing career.
After the hiring, Ryans’ former teammates were singing his praises, none louder than future hall of famer JJ Watt. Ryans spent the past 6 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers organization, working his way up from defensive quality control coach to defensive coordinator.
In Houston, Ryans has his work cut out from him. He’s coming from one of the most talented defensive groups in the NFL to a team that has roster holes from top to bottom. Thankfully the Texans brass signed off on a 6 year deal for their new coach, so there’s hope that they’ll have some patience and actually try to have a successful rebuild. Armed with 2 high picks and a brand new staff, there’s a sliver of hope that Ryans will be the man to lead this team back to relevance.
Joining Ryans in Houston is new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who worked with Ryans in San Francisco. Slowik, who was originally hired as a defensive quality control coach for the 49ers, switched sides and then worked his way up to passing game coordinator before earning the promotion in Houston.
He’s dealt with his share of quarterback issues during his tenure in San Fran (mainly due to an incredible amount of injuries), so despite his background as a passing coach, look for him to rely heavily on the run as he eases his new rookie starter into the league.
With most of his NFL experience spent learning under Kyle Shanahan, it’s a safe bet that he’ll look to shape his offense an aggressive, fast and tough unit. Another interesting hire to work with Slowik is new quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, who actually worked with both Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud back in their high school days.
On defense, Matt Burke gets his second shot as defensive coordinator after holding the position in Miami for 2 seasons. He’s well traveled, having worked for 7 teams over his 19 year tenure in the NFL. While he started out as a linebackers coach, he’s most recently been working on the defensive line for the Arizona Cardinals (where he coached JJ Watt, coincidentally).
He’ll need to improve the Texans in every aspect on the defensive side of the ball, and it seems that his defensive philosophies will align with Ryans, as both men worked alongside current Jets head coach Robert Saleh. With both Ryans and Burke having a background with the defensive front, they’ll look to add more talent there during the draft, and hope to create more of an aggressive, pass rushing focused defense in 2023.
Quarterbacks:
There isn’t really a point of breaking down the Texans current crop of quarterbacks. Davis Mills was a nice story after stealing the starting job in 2021, but he failed to take control of the offense in 2022. He ended the season with 3118 passing yards and 17 TDs, but was also responsible for 15 interceptions and 8 fumbles, 3 of those lost, while seeing his QB rating, completion percentage and average yards per pass drop as well. He was dealt a tough hand with the lack of talent in Houston, particularly after injuries took over the team, but hasn’t shown to this point that he’s a game changing quarterback.
The Texans will almost certainly be selecting their new franchise quarterback in this coming draft, likely with the second overall pick (although the latest reports have us trying to believe that the Ryans led team will go defense first and hope a quarterback falls to them at 12th). Picking between whoever is left between C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young almost seem like a coin flip at this point, and the Texans should be happy with whomever the Panthers leave for them at number 2.
The team signed veteran Case Keenum, a Texas native, to a 2 year deal to be an on field mentor for whoever the Texans wind up with in the draft. Keenum is a solid leader, and can step in and play a game or two if injuries take out the Texans starter, but ideally he’ll be holding a clipboard and will only take snaps in garbage time.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:
2022 was obviously a disappointing season throughout the organization, but the wide receiver room was a big letdown.
The team started the season with Brandin Cooks as their #1, but he only managed 699 yards in 13 games, and made it known throughout the league that he wasn’t interested in continuing his career through what looks to be a long rebuild. The Texans granted Cooks his trade request, moving him to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, after making some additions through free agency.
The Texans also invested in their wide receiver room over the past couple drafts, without much success. Canadian John Metchie III was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2022 draft, but unfortunately missed the entire season due to being diagnosed with leukemia. There’s hope that he’ll be able to rejoin the team for this coming training camp which is remarkable considering everything he’s been through. He was once projected to be the slot receiver of the future for the Texans, and fans across the league will be hoping for a full recovery.
2021 3rd round pick Nico Collins was expected to take a step forward in his development, but for the 2nd consecutive season was hampered by injuries. He’s only been able to play in 24 games over the past 2 seasons, but he was considered a starter in only 15 of those matchups and ended the season on IR. After 2 disappointing campaigns, he’s only shown flashes of his talent but has yet to prove that he can be a consistent contributor for the offense.
With a weak wide receiver free agency class, the Texans managed to acquire 2 pieces who should contribute to their new offense. The team began by signing Robert Woods to a 2 year deal, after a disappointing 2022 season spent in Tennessee. Woods, who suffered a torn ACL in 2021, will now be 2 years removed from the injury and there’s hope that he’ll return to the level of production that he showed during his time with the Rams now that he’s likely be playing with a more talented quarterback.
Noah Brown agreed to a 1 year deal with the club after showing signs of untapped talent while playing in Dallas. With the Cowboys receiver room dealing with injuries of their own, Brown was able to reach 555 yards receiving and score 3 touchdowns as their WR3.
The Texans added some pieces, but on paper it seems to be a strange fit. Woods, Metchie and Brown have all worked as slot receivers during their NFL/college careers. While there is something to be said about insulating your new rookie franchise quarterback with reliable pass catchers who can get their own yards after the catch, the team didn’t replace the downfield production that Cooks was able to provide while he was playing his best football.
Many mock drafts have the Texans using their 12th overall pick on a high end wide receiver to pair with their quarterback, but with a defensive minded head coach who has plenty of roster holes to fill, that’s no sure thing.
At tight end, the Texans went back to the well of former Cowboys and signed Dalton Schultz to a 1 year prove it deal to be their new starter. Schultz had a disappointing season after an 800 yard 8 td season in 2021,but continues to show flashes of his potential, highlighted by his 95 yard 2 TD first round playoff performance against the Bucs this past season.
There were rumblings that the Cowboys would be interested in using their franchise tag on their 5th year tight end, but opted to let him explore free agency where he signed an extremely reasonable $9 million deal. The contract itself is structured around bonuses, and he actually only counts for $2.845 million against the cap this season.
The Texans “lost” both Jordan Akins and O.J. Howard in free agency, but Schultz should more than match their combined production from this past year. Schultz is one of only 4 tight ends who reached 50 or more catches for 500 or more yards in each of the past 3 seasons. While he’s yet to have the massive breakout that many pundits expected, he’s extremely reliable, sure handed, and has the right amount of experience to help develop the Texans new franchise quarterback. While the Texans are taking a slight risk by only locking him up for this coming season, if he really breaks through with the new look offense, they’ll have the first chance to negotiate a long term deal.
Schultz isn’t likely be fighting for snaps in Houston, as he will be backed up by 2021 5th round pick Brevin Jordan, who has yet to show much potential as a high usage NFL tight end, and 2022 5th round pick Teagan Quitoriano, who’s strengths lie in the blocking department.
With a little more luck in the health department, the Texans have a solid group of pass catchers that all excel at making life easy on their quarterback, which is a solid strategy for a rebuilding team. If they do plan on making any noise, or even winning more that 5 games, they’ll have to find a way to acquire more top end talent to fast forward this offensive rebuild.
Running Backs:
Rookie running back Dameon Pierce took a couple games to get acclimated to the NFL in 2022, but once he got his feet under him, he looked the part of a true lead back. His season was unfortunately cut short due to injury, but he managed to rack up 939 yards on 220 touches in just 13 games. It’s extremely difficult for a rookie running back to make an impact on such a poor offense, but the 4th round pick blew all expectations out of the water.
He was also a solid receiver from the backfield, catching at least 2 passes per game from week 3 to week 12, minus week 8 where he instead dominated on the ground, rushing 27 times for 139 yards. With his performance this past season, the Texans have locked in a bonafide number one running back on a rookie deal for another 3 seasons.
Despite Pierce’s excellence, the Texans went looking for assurances in free agency, signing former Buffalo starter Devin Singletary to yet another 1 year deal. Singletary has played every single regular season and postseason game for the Bills over the past 3 seasons. Once viewed as a dynamic part of the offense in Buffalo, the Bills opted to move on from their former starting running back.
Singletary follows the trend of signees who are reliable and help their future quarterback develop in his first year in the league. He will also be able to carry the load if by chance Pierce gets injured, or takes a step back in his sophomore season. Singletary should be fine in a complimentary role, but don’t expect him to seriously challenge Pierce for the starting role.
3rd stringer Dare Ogunbowale will return for his 2nd year with the club, and offers the team another pass catching option out of the backfield. He was given an opportunity to take on a larger role with the club after the injury to Pierce, but, as shown by his 3.3 yards per carry career average, he is best suited in a complimentary, receiving back role.
Offensive Line:
Fellow staff writer Thomas Valentine wrote a nice piece regarding the Texans and their rebuilding of the offensive line, which outlines what they have done and what still needs to be done.
While the Texans almost certainly overpaid for Laremy Tunsil when they traded for him from the Dolphins, they were wise to not let him walk away, locking him into a 3 year, $75 million deal this past offseason, making him the highest paid offensive lineman. Tunsil has been name a pro-bowler in 3 of the past 4 seasons, and having the 11th ranked tackle in the league locked up to protect their next quarterback’s blindside is a no-brainer.
At the opposite end of the line, right tackle Tytus Howard is no slouch himself. While he had a rough start to his career, at one point being moved inside to play guard, his play while filling in at left tackle while Tunsil was hurt in 2021 led to the Texans picking up his 5th year option. That move seems to have paid off, as Howard performed well in a starting role at right tackle this past season.
The Texans spent their 15th overall pick in last year’s draft on guard Kenyon Green, and his first season in the NFL couldn’t have gone worse. He ended the season as the lowest rated guard in the entire NFL, with the 2nd most penalties and the 14th most sacks allowed. However, the draft book on him did say that he may take longer to acclimate to the NFL, so he may not be a lost cause as of yet.
The front office was wise to not rely on just that untapped potential, as they made a trade to acquire guard Shaq Mason from the Bucs, who were desperate to dump salary ahead of free agency. While Mason’s age doesn’t exactly coincide with the team’s rebuilding plan, he’s still playing at a high level and will be a great mentor and influence for Green going forward.
Center is another position along the line that the Texans will have to improve upon, as 2022 starter Scott Quessenberry joined Green in holding the dubious distinction of being the lowest rated player at their respective position. They did sign Michael Dieter to a 1 year deal, but he’s more of a depth piece than a solution to the problem at center.
While the line was mostly a mess in 2022, they now have 3 out of the 5 positions set, and can still hold out hope that Green will live up to his draft potential with a year’s worth of experience playing against the best in the world.
Defense:
The Texans need improvements at every level on defense, despite some solid signings in free agency. In the backfield, Jimmy Ward will immediately step in and be a leader for Ryans’ defense, but he’ll need a lot of help when it comes to actual play on the field. Derek Stingley JR, the Texans 3rd overall pick in 2022, had a disappointing season in his first year in the NFL after only playing in 9 games and failing to impress during his time on the field. Jalen Pitre, the Texans 37th overall pick, can definitely develop into a defensive playmaker after nabbing 5 interceptions in his rookie year, but needs to clean up his tackling.
At linebacker, the makeover continued as the Texans signed Denzel Perryman and Cory Littleton to join fellow veteran Christian Kirksey. Perryman and Kirksey generally both play middle linebacker, but Perryman would be an upgrade if he can stay healthy. Littleton is more of a downhill run stopper, but has had a few injury plagued seasons as he’s aged. Again, the Texans seem to just be looking for good locker room guys to help shelter and develop their young core.
The defensive line will be a focal point for Ryans’ defense going forward, but unless he makes a big splash in the draft, there’s not much to get excited about. The team filled the positions with crafty veteran signings like Hassan Ridgeway, Sheldon Rankins and Chase Winovich, but none of these players figure to be on the team once they’re approaching playoff relevance.
There’s no doubt that the Texans still have a roster filled with holes, and it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to plug them all in this coming draft. Taking a high level rookie quarterback seems like the logical choice at #2, and their free agency signings have certainly projected that’s the route they will take.
For those of us who love chaos, however, just the thought of Ryans and his staff trading down, acquiring more assets and drafting some elite defensive talent is enough to keep us tuned into the rest of the Texans offseason.
They have another two 1st round picks in next year’s draft, so if they think that they have a better shot at finding their franchise quarterback in 2024, they can use this year’s picks to shore up some of their deficiencies. Regardless of what they decide to do at the draft, it’s shaping up to be a long season focused on continuing to develop their young players and rebuilding the entire program in Houston.
-Devon Gallant
Twitter: @DevGallant
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.