The Houston Texans had a disappointing end to their 2024 campaign, as they failed to build on their performance last season and make a run to the Super Bowl. The team has plenty of young talent on several solid building blocks, including a potential superstar on a team-friendly rookie contract.
The Texans’ two biggest issues are both fixable. The bad news is that it will take creativity from the front office to write the ship as the team doesn’t have a lot of cap flexibility, and there are no obvious solutions that work within the team’s budget constraints.
A look at the Texans’ biggest needs
The two biggest needs for the Texans this offseason are at offensive line and wide receiver. The Texans are lucky that they have one of the best young quarterbacks in the league in CJ Stroud, but Stroud’s effectiveness has been somewhat diminished because of the team’s lack of ability to keep him upright. The Texans have promise at the offensive tackle spot, especially on the left side of the line where Laremy Tunsil has been holding things down. However, the team’s interior offensive linemen leave quite a bit to be desired.
Priority number one this winter and spring must be keeping Stroud upright so that the young quarterback can continue to flourish. If Stroud has enough protection around him, he’s more than capable of leading the Texans deep into the postseason and could quite possibly lead them to a Vince Lombardi Trophy. Many quarterbacks have faltered due to inadequate line play, however. It would be quite a shame if the Texans are unable to adequately protect Stroud and he ends up becoming one of those cautionary tales.
The story at wide receiver isn’t quite as desperate, partially due to the fact that the team has adequate depth when healthy and that great quarterbacks can lift up average receiving units. However, their receiving corps was ravaged by injuries. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to shore up the depth at that position and potentially add one more impact playmaker.
The Texans don’t have a lot of financial flexibility this offseason, which will somewhat limit their options as far as bringing in talk to your talent.
WR Mike Williams
Williams is an older player who has probably reached his peak, which will make him more affordable in free agency. That aligns with what the Texans will be looking for, and Williams has some upside, especially as a red zone target.
He would be a great depth piece for the team to add to their roster, and Stroud would certainly appreciate his height, physicality, and jump ball ability in the red zone.
C James Daniels
James Daniels is a decent player, and at just 27 years old, he has plenty of upside. The question becomes whether he’ll be able to realize his full potential or not.
A new environment could do wonders for him. The Texans are very thin along the offensive line, particularly so at the guard position. Daniels would bring a level of baseline play along with plenty of untapped upside.
G Austin Corbett
Austin Corbett is another solid depth piece that the team could add to fill an interior line spot, and he won’t be highly sought after. He’ll likely be willing to accept a reasonably team-friendly contract, which would work out for the Texans and not blow up their cap situation.
They won’t have a ton of money to spend in free agency, and Corbett is a decent piece who can provide depth and versatility along the interior of their offensive line. He’ll help strengthen the overall unit and keep Stroud upright in his third season.
WR DeAndre Hopkins
DeAndre Hopkins is nearing the end of his career and isn’t likely going to get a lengthy contract or a high annual salary. This makes him an intriguing target for a Houston front office that will be very conscientious of how they spend their money, especially given Hopkins’ lengthy track record of success and even domination at the professional level.
The player who earned the nickname of Nuk still has the ability to make defenders look silly, and he could play a role for Houston’s offense next season.
WR Diontae Johnson
Diontae Johnson is a talented player, and after his recent career developments, it’s unlikely that he’s going to land a big contract. Johnson was supposed to be the heir apparent to Antonio Brown in Pittsburgh, and for a while, he had stunning success.
His diminutive size, precise route, running ability, and penchant for getting open along with his ability to make sensational catches helped fans move on from the Antonio Brown era.
Unfortunately, Johnson was never able to fully live up to his talent. He did a great job of getting open but had frequent attention lapses that resulted in dropping routine passes. This is particularly infuriating given his strong hands and ability to make impossible catches seem routine. Unfortunately, that’s not good enough when a player also occasionally makes routine catches seem impossible.
Johnson ultimately went an entire season in Pittsburgh without finding the end zone, and the emergence of George Pickens made it clear that Johnson’s time as WR one in the Steel City had come to an end. Johnson didn’t seem particularly happy in Pittsburgh, and it was clear that a change of scenery might be needed for both sides.
Johnson went to the Carolina Panthers and within a short amount of time, found himself wearing out his welcome and moving to Baltimore. Unfortunately, this didn’t work out either, and he was cut from the Ravens’ roster.
After bouncing around the league a bit, he could represent an affordable option with upside and an elite passer such as Stroud might be just what the doctor ordered to revive Johnson’s career.
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