Quarterback

The Texans have been the worst team in the NFL over the past three seasons, with records of 4-12, 4-13, and 3-13-1, collapsing after years of failed attempts to go all in for a Super Bowl, leaving them with just one first round pick and just two top-50 picks in a four year span from 2018-2021. Their lack of high draft picks severely handicapped their ability to add young talent behind their key veterans and, as many of those key veterans left in a short period of time (DeShaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins, Jadeveon Clowney, JJ Watt, Kareem Jackson. Tyrann Mathieu, and DJ Reader, among others), the Texans were predictably left with a barren roster, leading to their recent struggles.

Fortunately for the Texans, the NFL is designed for teams not to be too bad for too long. The Texans received a trio of first round picks from the Browns in exchange for Watson, giving them two first round picks in each of the past two drafts, with their own first round picks being 3rd in 2021 and 2nd in 2022 as a result of their poor performance on the field. The Texans have also finally freed up some cap space after years of salary cap hell, allowing them to add veteran reinforcements to this young roster. The Texans probably aren’t a playoff team yet, but their recent additions give them a lot of hope for the future.

None of their recent additions is more important than the Texans’ selection of Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud with the #2 overall pick in this year’s draft, giving the Texans what they hope is their first franchise quarterback since Deshaun Watson’s last season with the team in 2020. In the two seasons since Watson last suited up for the team, the Texans have completed 62.8% of their passes for an average of 6.46 YPA, 41 touchdowns, and 34 interceptions, as big of a reason as any for their struggles over that time. Stroud is not a sure thing, but he’s a high level quarterback prospect who is NFL ready and it won’t be hard for him to be an immediate upgrade over what the Texans have had under center in recent years, even if he has growing pains as a rookie. He figures to start week one.

Davis Mills is the quarterback who has started the most for the Texans over the past two seasons and who was by default their best quarterback, even though he completed 63.6% of his passes for an average of 6.62 YPA, 33 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions, with the team going just 5-19-1 in his starts. He’s a young quarterback in his own right, a 3rd round pick in 2021, and he has still has the upside to be at least an above average backup long-term, but it’s hard to see where he fits in Houston, with the Texans not only drafting Stroud, but also signing veteran journeyman backup Case Keenum in free agency to a contract that guarantees him 4 million, effectively locking him into a roster spot. The Texans might opt to carry three quarterbacks, but that seems unlikely and Mills probably has enough value and upside that the Texans could trade him and get something for him rather than having to cut him outright if they wanted to move on from him.

Regardless of what happens with Mills, Keenum seems like the most likely backup option. He’s going into his age 35 season now, but he’s an experienced backup/stopgap starter, with 64 starts in 11 seasons in the league, and he’s fared pretty well with a 85.2 QB rating for his career. He has made just two starts over the past three seasons, so, given his age, it’s fair to wonder how he’ll fare if forced into extended action by an injury to Stroud, but he’s still probably an above average backup option and the Texans are obviously hoping he doesn’t have to see the field. Stroud should represent an upgrade under center for the Texans in 2023, even if he struggles a little bit as a rookie.

Grade: C+

Offensive Line

One key player who remains from the last time the Texans were competitive is left tackle Laremy Tunsil, the acquisition of whom is actually part of why the Texans ended up in the situation they were in, as he cost the Texans two first round picks in a trade, one of which was the 3rd overall pick, which was subsequently traded for three more first round picks. Tunsil has been one of the Texans’ better players since being acquired, with PFF grades of 75.8, 75.4, and 80.0 in 2019, 2020, and 2022 respectively, with an injury plagued 2021 season in between, but the Texans had to give him a 3-year, 66 million dollar extension when they acquired him and then a subsequent 3-year, 75 million dollar extension this off-season to keep him long-term, making him the highest paid offensive lineman in the league in terms of average annual salary. He’s one of the better left tackles in the league and he’s still in his prime in his age 29 season, but the Texans surrendered a lot in terms of draft capital and salary to acquire and keep him.

The Texans have also spent two first round picks on the offensive line in recent years, one of whom, Tytus Howard, was their only first round pick in that 4-year stretch that I mentioned earlier. Howard hasn’t quite been worth that draft selection, but he’s posted grades of 62.1 and 67.9 on PFF in his last two seasons at right tackle in 2020 and 2022 respectively, with a failed experiment at guard (51.4 PFF grade) in 2021 in between, so he wasn’t really a bad pick either and he should remain at least a solid starting right tackle. He and Tunsil will be backed up by 2020 4th round pick Charlie Heck, who has struggled in 17 career starts, but who isn’t a horrible swing tackle option.

The other first round pick they used on this unit was Kenyon Green, who was selected 15th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. Green subsequently had a horrendous rookie season, finishing 87th among 88 eligible guards on PFF with a 37.7 grade. He still has the upside to be a lot better long-term and, at the very least, I wouldn’t expect him to be that bad two years in a row, but he has a long way to go to at least be an average starting left guard.

The Texans also used a 2nd round pick in this year’s draft on Penn State’s Juice Scruggs, who figures to start at center as a rookie, where he almost definitely will be an upgrade on incumbent Scott Quessenberry, who finished as PFF’s worst ranked center out of 42 eligible last season with a 36.6 grade in the first extended starting experience of the 2018 5th round pick’s career. Scruggs could also struggle as a rookie as well, but just by sending Quessenberry to a reserve role, he should upgrade this offensive line at least somewhat.

Also added this off-season is veteran Shaq Mason, who the Texans acquired from the Buccaneers via trade and subsequently signed to a 3-year, 36 million dollar deal. Mason is going into his age 30 season and coming off the worst PFF grade of his career since his rookie season in 2015, but he still posted a 68.9 PFF grade, after six straight seasons of 70+ grades, including five seasons in the 80s, and he’s not totally over the hill yet, so he could have some bounce back potential. 

At the very least, Mason should give them a solid starter with the upside to be more if he can turn back the clock a little. Incumbent right guard AJ Cann wasn’t bad last season (66.6), but the Texans upgraded a little by letting Cann walk in free agency and replacing him with Mason. With Mason coming in, better play expected from Kenyon Green, and the addition of Juice Scruggs in the draft, this offensive line should be better than a year ago, but they’re still probably only about average.

Grade: B

Receiving Corps

One player the Texans lost this off-season is veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Cooks is going into his age 30 season and his production (57/699/3) in 2022 was not in line with his scheduled 18 million dollar salary for 2023, but he still led the team in receiving yards in 13 games and poor quarterback play was likely as much to blame as anything for his disappointing statistical season, after surpassing 1000 yards in six of the previous seven seasons. 

The Texans probably wanted to keep Cooks, who had a 72.3 PFF grade in 2022, but Cooks had left the team for a period last year and had demanded a trade, so the Texans eventually had to give him his wish, sending him to Dallas. His 18 million dollar salary for 2023 was fully guaranteed, so the Texans had to eat 6 million in a trade that only returned a 5th round pick and 6th round pick, which is disappointing for the Texans, especially since they’re losing a key player in the process, albeit an aging and expensive one.

To replace Cooks, the Texans signed veteran Robert Woods and used a 3rd round pick on Tank Dell. They’ll also get 2022 2nd round pick John Metchie back from an illness that cost him his entire rookie season and they could get more out of 2021 3rd round pick Nico Collins. It’s unlikely any of them will give the Texans the upside Cooks would have. Dell and Metchie have upside, but neither have played in the NFL yet and will almost definitely have growing pains in their first NFL action.

Woods used to be a 1000+ yard receiver with the Rams, surpassing that mark in 2018 (86/1219/6) and 2019 (90/1134/2) and averaging a 92/1157/6 slash line per 17 games in five seasons in Los Angeles, but a bad knee injury ended his 2021 season after nine games and subsequently ended his tenure with the Rams, with the Titans acquiring him last off-season in what amounted to a salary dump of his 13 million dollar salary, 3 million of which the Rams ate as part of the trade in exchange for a late round pick. 

Woods disappointed in Tennessee in his first season back from injury, with a 53/527/2 slash line and a 1.14 yards per route run average after averaging 1.88 yards per route run with the Rams, and, as a result, he was released by the Titans ahead of 13.75 million non-guaranteed owed this season. The Texans are getting him much cheaper, on a 2-year, 15.25 million dollar deal, and he could be better another year removed from injury, but he’s also going into his age 31 season now, so his best days are almost definitely behind him, even if he happens to be somewhat better this season than a year ago.

With Woods not being a #1 caliber receiver anymore, it’s possible Nico Collins leads this team in receiving. Collins hasn’t played that much in two seasons in the league, limited to 536 snaps in 14 games as a rookie (38.3 snaps per game) and then playing a bigger role in 2022 (44.1 snaps per game), but missing seven games due to injury. However, his yards per route run average jumped from 1.24 as a rookie to 1.68 last season, despite mediocre quarterback play and he has the upside to take a step forward in year three in a bigger role with a better quarterback. He’s not likely to be a #1 caliber receiver either, but he probably has the most upside of the group.

The Texans did add veteran tight end Dalton Schultz from the Cowboys in free agency this off-season, on a 1-year, 6.25 million dollar deal and, with the lack of a true #1 receiver, Schultz figures to have a big role. Schultz was franchise tagged last off-season by the Cowboys after a 2021 season in which he had a 78/808/8 slash line and a 1.47 yards per route run average, a big jump from a 63/615/4 slash line and 1.11 yards per route run average the previous year.

His production fell to 57/577/5 and 1.38 yards per route run in 2022, but a knee injury cost him two games and he wasn’t really healthy until week 7, from which point he had 1.56 yards per route run and a 46/497/5 slash line in 11 games, a 71/768/8 pace over 17 games. He won’t have as good of quarterback play in Houston as he did in Dallas, but he’ll probably be a bigger part of the offense in Houston and he’ll almost definitely be an upgrade at the position for a team whose best tight end in 2022 had a 37/495/5 slash line.

That tight end, Jordan Akins (406 snaps), is no longer with the team, nor is OJ Howard (310 snaps), leaving 2021 5th round pick Brevin Jordan and 2022 5th round pick Teagan Quitoriano as the primary reserve options behind Schultz. Both have some upside and neither will be counted on for a big role, but both could easily see a career high in snaps, with Jordan playing just 503 snaps in two seasons in the league and Quitoriano playing just 322 snaps as a rookie, and both could struggle in a larger role. This isn’t a bad receiving corps, but they lack a #1 option and have a lot of inexperienced players.

Grade: B-

Running Backs

Starting running back Dameon Pierce was a rare bright spot on this offense last season, as the 4th round rookie rushed for 939 yards and 4 touchdowns on 220 carries (4.27 YPC) in just 13 games, while receiving a 78.9 grade from PFF. The problem was all of the Texans’ other running backs, who struggled mightily when Pierce wasn’t not on the field. Dare Ogunbowale, Royce Freeman, and Rex Burkhead were next on the team with 42 carries, 41 carries, and 26 carries respectively, but they averaged just 2.93 YPC, 2.85 YPC, and 3.08 YPC respectively.

The Texans addressed their need for running back depth by signing free agent Devin Singletary, bringing him over from the Bills on a 1-year, 2.75 million dollar deal. The Texans’ needed another running back, but Singletary is an odd fit. He still shouldn’t take more than a few carries per game away from Pierce, who is the better back, but he’s being paid a somewhat significant amount, suggesting he’ll have a role in some capacity. He also doesn’t compliment Dameon Pierce’s weakness well as, like Pierce, Singletary has struggled in the passing game in his career, averaging just 0.72 yards per route run (0.83 yards per route run for Pierce). 

It’s possible Singletary could cut into Pierce’s carries a little bit and Pierce could compensate with more usage in the passing game, but Pierce and Singletary seem too similar to be a good fit together, with Singletary as a lesser version. Singletary averaged 4.69 YPC on 672 carries in four seasons in Buffalo, but he benefited significantly from playing on one of the best offenses in the league, where there was plenty of room to run. That won’t be the case in Houston, where Pierce was still able to have success despite the lack of talent around him and Singletary may not be able to. 

The Texans may also still use holdover Dare Ogunbowale in obvious passing situations, something they did in certain situations last season (130 of his 184 snaps played were on passing downs last season). He was underwhelming in that role though, averaging just 1.04 yards per route run, and has just 1.01 yards per route run and 3.30 yards per carry for his career. If he has a significant role, it’s because the Texans just don’t trust Pierce or Singletary in passing situations. Most likely, Ogunbowale will just be a deep reserve, with Pierce and Singletary splitting work probably 2/1 on both early downs and passing downs, but it’s a situation to pay attention to.

Grade: B+

Interior Defenders

The Texans also made some significant additions on defense this off-season. At the interior defender position, their biggest addition was Sheldon Rankins, who comes over from the Jets on a 1-year, 9.5 million dollar deal after a 2022 season in which he had a 73.1 PFF grade on 558 snaps, one of the best seasons of his career. Rankins also received a 79.0 grade on 642 from PFF in 2018, but, prior to last season, he hadn’t reached that level since, limited to 738 mostly nondescript snaps in 22 games combined in injury plagued seasons in 2019 and 2020, before struggling mightily in his first season with the Jets in 2021, when he had a career worst 46.1 PFF grade. 

Rankins is a capable run defender too, but he’s at his best as a pass rusher, with 23.5 sacks, 34 hits, and a 8.1% pressure rate for his career. He’s still only in his age 29 season and the former first round pick has plenty of talent when he’s at his best, but his history of inconsistency and injury (20 games missed in seven seasons in the league) suggests that he’s unlikely to repeat last season’s performance. Still, Rankins should be a welcome addition for a Texans team that only had one interior defender receive even an average grade from PFF in 2022, Maliek Collins, who received a 65.4 on 601 snaps.

Collins remains with the team and should be the other starter inside next to Rankins. Collins’ run defense, leaves something to be desired, as he’s received a grade lower than 60 for his run defense from PFF in five of seven seasons in the league, but he’s been above 60 in pass rush grade in every season, totaling 20.5 sacks, 39 hits, and a 7.9% pressure rate in his career, and he’s finished in the 60s for overall grade in four of the past five seasons. Still in his prime in his age 28 season, I would expect more of the same from Collins in 2023.

Roy Lopez (557 snaps), Kurt Hinish (435 snaps), and Thomas Booker (206 snaps) all played significant roles last season and remain on the roster, but they all struggled, with PFF grades of 52.7, 49.5, and 35.3 respectively, and all will have to compete for reserve roles in 2023, along with veteran journeyman Hassan Ridgeway, who the Texans added in free agency. Ridgeway has been middling at best on an average of 247 snaps played per season in seven seasons in the league, so he’s not a strong reserve option, but none of the Texans other interior defenders look like strong reserve options either. 

Lopez was just a 6th round pick in 2021 and also struggled as a rookie with a 55.7 PFF grade on 502 snaps, while Hinish and Booker were rookies that went undrafted and in the 5th round respectively in 2022. It’s possible those three young players have some untapped upside, but given where they were drafted, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they never developed into even reliable rotational players. Collins and Rankins are a decent starting duo, but their lack of depth makes this an underwhelming group overall. 

Grade: C+

Edge Defenders

On the edge, the Texans’ big addition this off-season came through the draft. After using the 2nd overall pick on quarterback CJ Stroud, the Texans then traded up to the 3rd pick immediately after, surrendering the 12th overall pick they received in the Deshaun Watson trade, as well as their own first round pick next year, to select Alabama edge defender Will Anderson, widely considered the top defensive prospect in the draft and the Texans’ second choice at 2 if they had decided not to take a quarterback. 

The Texans will still have a first round pick next year from the Watson trade, but it’s still a risky move for a team like the Texans who could have a high pick again next year to give away their own pick and the Texans still probably aren’t in a position to be giving away future first round picks, considering how many recent drafts they have had without a first round pick. However, Anderson comes with a massive upside and, if he makes good on that upside, the Texans’ trade up for him will prove worth it. He probably won’t make good on that upside right away as a rookie, but he should still have a positive impact for this team.

With Anderson being added, the edge defender position looks like it will be a strength for this team in 2023. The Texans lost a trio of edge defenders who played significant roles last season, Rasheem Green (567 snaps), Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (517 snaps), and Mario Addison (367 snaps), but Green (62.4 PFF grade) and Addison (57.8 PFF grade) were underwhelming last season and, while Okoronkwo played at a pretty high level (75.1 PFF grade), the Texans should still get better edge defender play in 2022 than they had in 2023 even without Okoronkwo, in part because of the addition of Anderson, but also because they should get a healthier season out of Jonathan Greenard, who was limited to 284 middling snaps in 8 games last season by injury.

Greenard looked on his way to a breakout season in 2022, after the 2020 3rd round pick flashed in limited action in 2021, only playing 414 snaps, but receiving a 82.9 PFF grade and totaling 8 sacks, 7 hits, and a 12.6% pressure rate, despite the limited playing time. Because of that promise, Greenard’s injury plagued 2022 season (63.4 PFF grade) was disappointing, but he’s still only in his age 26 season and could easily have that breakout season in 2023 if he can stay healthy. That’s not a guarantee, considering he’s still a projection to a larger role and has only finished with better than an average grade on PFF once in three seasons in the league, but he has plenty of upside.

Greenard also probably won’t have to play a huge role in a position group that has Will Anderson, as well as veteran holdover Jerry Hughes, who had a 71.4 PFF grade across 689 snaps last season. That’s nothing new for Hughes, who has finished above 70 on PFF in nine of the previous ten seasons, excelling as a pass rusher with 61.5 sacks, 69 hits, and a 13.1% pressure rate over that span. Hughes doesn’t seem to have slowed down much, with 9 sacks, no hits, and a 15.2% pressure rate last season, and he’s only missed two games in the past 11 seasons combined, but he’s going into his age 35 season, so he could easily decline significantly this season. Even if he does though, he should at least be a capable edge defender, with the potential to be an above average option if he doesn’t decline significantly. 

Hughes, Greenard, and Anderson will rotate heavily and should form an above average edge defender trio. With those three on the depth chart, there isn’t much need for depth behind them, but veteran Jacob Martin figures to see at least some snaps as a deep reserve. Martin was added in free agency this off-season and it’s a return to Houston for him, after spending 2019-2021 with the Texans. Martin earned below average grades of 56.5 and 53.8 in limited roles in 2019 (220 snaps) and 2020 (375 snaps) respectively, but took a step forward in 2021, receiving a 67.3 PFF grade on 700 snaps. 

Martin’s solid 2021 season led to him receiving a 3-year, 13.5 million dollar deal from the Jets in free agency last off-season, but he was buried in a deep edge defender rotation in New York, playing just 152 snaps in eight games, and was traded to the Broncos mid-season for a swap of mid-round picks. With Denver, Martin played just 109 snaps in five games before going down for the season with injury and he was subsequently released this off-season, saving 5 million. Martin still had a 65.1 PFF grade across 267 snaps last season, his second straight season with a grade over 65, so he should be a good option as a deep reserve in a position group that is led by a talented trio.

Grade: B+

Linebackers

The Texans didn’t make any big additions at linebacker this off-season, but they signed a pair of veteran linebackers, Denzel Perryman and Cory Littleton, to cheap one-year deals worth 2.6 million and 2.4 million respectively and they should be valuable additions for a team who didn’t have a linebacker play more than 250 snaps and receive even an average grade from PFF in 2022. Perryman and Litteton, meanwhile, received grades of 74.2 and 72.2 respectively last season from PFF, 17th and 24th among eligible linebackers, but were available cheaply for similar reasons.

Perryman has finished above 70 on PFF four times in eight seasons in the league, including three of the past five seasons, but he’s going into his age 31 season, he’s missed 34 games in his career, while never once playing in every game in a season, and he’s been pretty inconsistent in his career, with three seasons below 60 on PFF in his career, though two were in his second and third season in the league. He’s especially been inconsistent in coverage, which, combined with his injury history, has prevented him from playing more than 600 snaps in all but one season in the league. 

Perryman has five straight seasons over 65 in run defense grade on PFF and he has a good chance to remain an above average early down linebacker in 2023, even given his age, but he figures to miss more time with injury at some point this season, he likely won’t play in many sub packages in obvious passing situations, and it’s possible his abilities drop off significantly, now on the wrong side of 30. Even still, he’s an upgrade over what the Texans had last season, and at a cheap price.

Littleton comes cheap for similar reasons, particularly his age (age 30 season) and his history of inconsistency, especially in coverage. Littleton was an above average every down linebacker in 2018 and 2019 with the Rams, finishing with PFF grades of 66.0 and 79.0 respectively on snap counts of 964 and 1,039 respectively, landing him a big contract with the Raiders. However, Littleton was a big bust with the Raiders, falling all the way to 46.3 in PFF grade on 849 snaps in his first season with the team and continuing to struggle with a 47.2 PFF grade in his second season, in which he would get benched and play just 663 snaps total. 

Littleton’s struggles with the Raiders led to him being released last off-season and landing with the Carolina Panthers, with whom he proved to be a solid base package linebacker, with a 72.2 PFF grade on 372 snaps. Littleton could play close to an every down role in Houston and he has more of a history of doing so and succeeding in coverage than Perryman, but he’s also been the worst of the two players overall in recent years and could regress back to his 2020-2021 form in an every down role again. Like Perryman, he’s an upgrade by default and comes with some potential if he can play up to his best level, but I think he’s less likely than Perryman to play up to his best and I think his floor is lower as well.

Christian Kirksey (1,139 snaps) and Christian Harris (711 snaps) are their top returning linebackers from a year ago and both figure to continue having at least some role, with Perryman and/or Littleton likely limited to base package play. Kirksey is also a veteran and he is plenty experienced with 94 starts in 114 games in nine seasons in the league, averaging 57.0 snaps played per game, but he’s finished below 60 on PFF in five straight seasons and is now going into his age 31 season, so he would almost definitely be a below average option, after a 2022 season in which he finished with a 56.1 PFF grade. 

Harris, on the other hand, was a third round rookie last season and he struggled even more, finishing dead last out of 93 eligible off ball linebackers on PFF with a 28.3 grade. He has the upside to be better in year two and is probably the best coverage athlete of the bunch, but his coverage play (29.6 PFF grade in 2022) will need to take a big step forward for him to be a reliable option in sub packages. Perryman and Littleton make this linebacking corps better by default, but they have their own problems and the rest of this group is very underwhelming. 

Grade: B-

Secondary

At cornerback, the Texans big addition this off-season was Shaq Griffin, who two off-seasons ago signed a 3-year, 40 million dollar deal with the Jaguars. Griffin was pretty good in his first season in Jacksonville, with a 72.0 PFF grade, his second season in the 70s in three years, and wasn’t bad to start last season either, with a 61.8 PFF grade in five games, but he missed the rest of the season with injury and the Jaguars subsequently cut him this off-season to avoid paying him the final 13.5 million of his contract. Griffin is still only in his age 28 season, so it’s surprising the Texans were able to get him for just 3.5 million on a one-year deal, especially since they don’t even guarantee him an opportunity to start. 

Derek Stingley was the third overall pick in last year’s draft and, even after an injury plagued rookie season in which he had a 49.1 PFF grade in 9 starts, he figures to remain locked into a starting job and has a great chance to be significantly improved in year two, even if only by default. Desmond King probably has the slot locked down, after posting a 73.2 grade last season, his 4th season above 70 in six seasons in the league. Steven Nelson is probably the most vulnerable to losing his job to Griffin, but he has a good chance to keep his job after a 66.7 PFF grade in 15 starts last season, his 7th straight season above 60 on PFF (99 starts). 

Nelson is going into his age 30 season, but, assuming he doesn’t decline significantly, he could still hold off Griffin for the starting job. The Texans also have Tavierre Thomas, primarily a special teamer, who has surprised with PFF grades of 77.6 and 70.0 on 639 snaps and 409 snaps respectively on defense over the past two seasons. He’ll probably only be a deep reserve, but he legitimately makes the Texans five deep at cornerback and, even if they don’t have a clear #1 cornerback, this is a solid group overall, especially if Stingley takes a big step forward in year two, which he has the potential to do.

At safety, the Texans added Jimmie Ward on a 2-year, 13 million dollar deal in free agency and he figures to be a massive upgrade over incumbent Jonathan Owens, who is no longer with the team after finishing 92nd out of 96 eligible safeties with a 48.3 PFF grade last season. Ward, on the other hand, has finished above 70 on PFF in four straight seasons. He comes relatively cheap in free agency because of his age, going into his age 32 season, and his injury history, 40 games missed in 9 seasons in the league, with just one season in which he played every game. He comes with some risk, but he should be a massive upgrade regardless.

Jalen Pitre also struggled last season as the other starting safety, receiving a 54.7 grade from PFF, but he was only a rookie and the former second round pick could easily take a step forward in 2023 in his second season as a starter. If he continues to struggle, it’s possible he could be benched and the Texans could leverage their cornerback depth to fill his spot, with slot cornerback Desmond King having experience at safety as well. The Texans also have solid depth at safety with Eric Murray and MJ Stewart. 

Murray has been a middling starter at best in his career, but he has made 40 starts in seven seasons in the league and is not a bad reserve option, while Stewart is not nearly as experienced, maxing out at 328 snaps in five seasons in the league, but the former second round pick has flashed in limited action with PFF grades of 83.8 and 70.1 over the past two seasons. This is a solid secondary overall, much improved last season, with Ward and Griffin being added and Stingley and Pitre going into their second seasons in the league.

Grade: B+

Conclusion

After three years of being among the worst teams in the league, the Texans are finally heading in the right direction, selecting a potential franchise quarterback high in this year’s draft and finally having cap space to add veteran reinforcements to this young roster. The result is a team that is still unlikely to make the post-season, but that should be a lot more competitive this season, after 16 losses by double digits over the past two seasons combined. I will have a final prediction at the end of the off-season when all previews are completed.

Prediction: 6-11, 4th in AFC South