2024 NFL Offseason Primer: Houston Texans

Logan Ulrich

February 27, 2024

Houston Texans

Projected Cap Space: $63.9 million

Draft Picks: 8

1st (No. 23)
2nd (No. 59)
3rd (No. 86, PHI)
4th (No. 124, CLE)
4th (No. 128)
7th (No. 236, NO)
7th (No. 245)
7th (No. 250, KC)

Notable Free Agents:

Top Three Needs

1 – Defensive Line

This wasn’t a weak spot for the Texans last year. Houston’s defense ranked fifth in the NFL in pressure rate in 2024 despite blitzing the fifth-fewest times of any team. Even though the Texans were closer to the middle of the pack in sacks, the starting four of first-round DE Will Anderson, DT Maliek Collins, Rankins and Greenard was effective and disruptive.

The catch is Greenard and Rankins are both on expiring contracts and the rotation behind them is also set to take a hit. Even if the Texans can re-sign both, I could see HC DeMeco Ryans‘ background with the 49ers coming into play here, leading to even more investment in the trenches. Particularly as the Texans look to establish themselves as heavyweights in the AFC, a fearsome pass rush is a must given the murderer’s row of quarterbacks they have to face.

2 – Cornerback

Nelson was solid as the No. 2 corner for the Texans last year across from budding star Derek Stingley. However, at 31 years old and a free agent, there’s a chance Houston elects to go in a different direction here. This is another premium position where it’s important to have a quality starter to keep up with the competition in the AFC. Even if Nelson is back or the Texans sign another veteran to replace him, it would make a lot of sense to target another young cornerback to pair with Stingley in the draft.

Slot corner is also an area of need for the Texans, as due to injuries they cycled through several options including King, Thomas and even S Jimmie Ward. The Texans could bring back either Thomas or King but this is another area where it makes sense to look to the draft.

3 – Running Back

The focus for Houston over the next three or four seasons is going to be maximizing their competitive window while QB C.J. Stroud is on his rookie contract and affordable. They already have bookend tackles in Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard, (though both have some injury questions) and two young wideouts in Nico Collins and Tank Dell who looked like stars along with Stroud in 2023. If the offensive line stays healthier than it did last year and they re-sign Schultz, the passing game should pick up where it left off.

There are a bunch of other needs for the Texans to address, including guard, tackle, safety, linebacker and special teams. But one area in particular where the Texans could look to upgrade and get a lot of bang for their buck is running back. Houston’s running game was among the league’s worst last year. The transition to OC Bobby Slowik‘s zone blocking scheme didn’t go well for RB Dameon Pierce, who was a breakout rookie in 2022. Singletary was far more effective but he’s a limited player.

The best way to help the offense and Stroud reach another level might not be adding another pass-catcher, but a do-it-all running back who the offense can lean on to not become one-dimensional. While there’s not a clear-cut option in the draft who fits the bill, it’s an uncommonly strong free-agent class of running backs. The Texans could add someone like Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs or Tony Pollard — and that’s naming just a few.

One Big Question

Can the Texans catch the Chiefs?

Sports books aren’t infallible but they’re a great way to gauge preseason expectations for teams, and the only team the books was more bearish on than the Texans was the Cardinals. It’s hard to blame them after the past few years of dysfunction, and they ended up with a quarterback in Stroud who had as rough a pre-draft process as any prospect has had in a while.

So it shocked a ton of people when Stroud looked like a top-ten quarterback out of the gate and the Texans ended up not only making the playoffs but winning a game. Houston kept it tight with the top-seeded Ravens for a half before Baltimore kicked things into gear, but the message was clear. The Texans are going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Now Houston has a golden opportunity ahead. They have gobs of cap space and just hit on the kind of draft class that can power a team for years and years with Stroud, Anderson and Dell. They have the chance to stack up a super team around Stroud while other AFC teams like the Ravens, Chargers, Bengals, Bills and even the Chiefs have to reckon with big-money contracts eating up cap space for their elite quarterbacks.

The Chiefs just won it all with QB Patrick Mahomes having a huge cap hit, however. That’s the bar the Texans have to clear, and it’s a formidable one that almost no one in the conference has been able to top for the past six years. But with how good Stroud looked as a rookie, the Texans have as good a chance as anyone else in 2024.