Houston Texans
Projected Cap Space: $2.1 million
Draft Picks: 6
- 1st (No. 25)
- 2nd (No. 58)
- 3rd (No. 89)
- 4th (No. 127)
- 5th (No. 167, BUF)
- 7th (No. 243)
Notable Free Agents:
- WR Stefon Diggs
- WR Robert Woods
- DT Mario Edwards Jr.
- DE Derek Barnett
- DT Foley Fatukasi
- G Kendrick Green
- S Eric Murray
- LB Neville Hewitt
- CB Jeff Okudah
- LB Devin White
- DE Jerry Hughes
- QB Case Keenum
- CB Myles Bryant
- LS Jon Weeks
Top Three Needs
1 – Offensive Line
The offensive line proved to be the fatal flaw for the Texans in 2024 that tanked their lofty Super Bowl aspirations. Unfortunately, it’s not an easy problem with clean solutions. Houston had largely the same personnel in 2024 that it did in 2023 but the results up front were worse. A lack of adjustments from the offensive coaching staff was at least partially to blame, which is why the Texans fired OC Bobby Slowik just a year after giving him a raise to keep him after multiple teams had head coaching interest. Slowik’s lack of answers for the blitz was especially apparent in the playoff loss to the Chiefs when Kansas City took down QB C.J. Stroud eight times.
New Texans OC Nick Caley and new OL coach Cole Popovich, formerly the assistant OL coach, will be tasked with giving the Texans more schematic answers to the pressure that wrecked them too often in 2024. But the Texans’ problems weren’t all coaching-related. Veteran G Shaq Mason regressed and is a candidate for a pay cut or release to lower his salary in his age-32 season. Former first-round G Kenyon Green looks like a major bust so far, and the Texans once again had to kick RT Tytus Howard inside to guard to try and stabilize the front.
Figuring out where Howard will play is the first domino to figuring out what other personnel changes are needed. The Texans have Green, OL Jarrett Patterson, OL Juice Scruggs and OT Blake Fisher as recent draft picks who played major snaps last year. Houston needs to evaluate which players are capable of starting and which need more seasoning behind more established veterans as the organization fills out starting spots at center, right guard and either right tackle or left guard depending on where Howard lands.
2 – Wide Receiver
The Texans didn’t just get hit hard by injuries at receiver in 2024, they got blasted by the kind of major injuries that linger and can cause complications for months. Diggs tore his ACL at the end of October, and the standard nine to 12-month rehab for that injury puts him right up against the start of training camp. In eight games, Diggs had 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns, transitioning into more of a veteran slot receiver presence. Both sides have expressed interest in another year in Houston but it’ll be interesting to see what kind of market the 31-year-old Diggs has.
The Texans also lost WR Tank Dell in an unfortunate friendly-fire injury late in the regular season against the Chiefs. Dell dislocated his knee and suffered catastrophic damage — similar in fact to the severe knee injury Browns RB Nick Chubb sustained in 2023. The injury will take multiple surgeries to repair and a long rehab process. Dell could miss the entire 2025 season.
With all the injuries, guys like Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie had chances to step into bigger roles but failed to seize the opportunity. The Texans need a reliable counterpart to No. 1 WR Nico Collins, and with the uncertainty around Diggs and Dell that player might not be on the roster right now.
3 – Defensive Tackle
For as frustrating as this past season was for the Texans, they did not have much to complain about on defense. Houston’s defense was one of the top units in the league, ranking sixth in total defense. The Texans’ pass rush was particularly ferocious, ranking fourth in the NFL with 49 sacks. Both DEs Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. were in double digits and combined for 23 QB takedowns.
However, Texans HC DeMeco Ryans is missing the same type of impactful contributors at defensive tackle, which was key to his success when he was running the 49ers’ defense. Houston has some solid players but all of them are better-suited to rotational or situation-specific roles. A premiere addition at defensive tackle who is a force against both the run and pass could have an exponentially positive impact on an already tough Texans defense.
One Big Question
Can new OC Nick Caley get Stroud and the offense back on track?
The swap from Slowik to Caley could easily be the most impactful move the Texans make this offseason — positive or negative. Although Caley spent the past two years in Los Angeles under HC Sean McVay and a similar offensive system to what Slowik was running the past two years, he cut his teeth as a coach in New England, spending eight years as an assistant under Bill Belichick from 2015 to 2022. He overlapped and worked closely with Texans GM Nick Caserio in that time span.
After being passed over for offensive coordinator, Caley joined the Rams in 2023 and over the past two years has been credited as helping McVay expand and diversify his playbook, incorporating more of the gap scheme runs that the Patriots were known for. Every play-caller says they’ll tailor their scheme to the players, but expect the Texans to look a lot more like the Tom Brady-era Patriots rather than the zone running-based Shanahan-style offense they were running under Slowik.
On paper, that could be a better fit for the personnel. Caley still has to show he can handle the bullets as a first-time play-caller and give his quarterback and line more answers against NFL defenses that are as sophisticated in the blitz game as ever. Ultimately, he’ll be judged by whether he helps Stroud make the jump everyone expected from the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year last year. With a defense like the Texans have and a quarterback like Stroud, the offense can’t be the thing holding Houston back.
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