Starting the 2023 season, everyone had the Texans being described as one of the worst teams in football and no way of finding grace for a turnaround. Texans’ front office did not see it that way and with the help of coach Demeco Ryans, a new “SWARM” culture filled the city of Houston. The Houston Texans shocked the NFL world by not only making the NFL Playoffs but also claiming their seventh division championship since 2002. City of Houston’s Cinderella story would be cut short, with a devastating loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL Divisional round of the playoffs.
With the 2023 season-ending, the front office knew CJ Stroud is a generational quarterback. Stroud’s rookie contract is the Texans saving grace when it comes to building this team for a Super Bowl run, after the deal is up, CJ will break the quarterback market! With That, Houston’s window is open to be a “win now” team. General Manager Nick Caserio struck in free agency and the NFL Draft while the Iron was hot.
FREE AGENCY –
As I stated before, the Texans ended the season on a high note and caught the attention of many people. From other NFL players to the media, Houston was a landing spot for potential free agents. Once this was a thing, rumors of highly sought players were destined for Houston, which gave fans a sign of hope. That was not the case when free agency started, many teams overpaid for players and the Texans watched them walk. Fans started to grow restless and doubt GM Nick Caserio’s decisions. That soon would change. . . .
Danielle Hunter – EDGE
Lot of speculation from the media, that Christian Wilkins was destined to be a Houston Texans as soon as free agency started. Fate went differently for the two parties, Wilkins went to the Raiders for a ridiculous amount of money and the Texans set their eyes on a hometown player. Danielle Hunter, from Katy, piqued interest in the Texans after attending the Browns at the Texans playoff game.
Hunter, who came off Defensive Player of the Year season, automatically improved the front seven. Danielle last recorded; 83 tackles with 23 of them being for a loss, 22 QB hits, 4 Forced Fumbles, 1 Fumble Recovery, 2 Pass Defends, and a pass rush success of 44.8%. In every category, Danielle Hunter finished top 6 on the defensive side
Adding Hunter, Demeco Ryans increased production in his defensive scheme but also gave 2023’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. some relief from being doubled team. Hunter and Anderson can go down in history as the best Edge Duo in NFL history.
Denico Autry – Nose Tackle
Last year many were surprised by the production at the Texans Nose Tackle position, but was still the biggest need going into this off-season. As stated before, the most sought-after Nose Tackle went to the Las Vagas Raiders, but that did not stop the Texans from filling a need. AFC South alumni Denico Autry signed with Houston, making the Texans his third AFC South team (Colts & Titans).
In the last three seasons, Denico accumulated a 10.5 Sack Average. In the 2023 season, the Texans broke a team sack record of 55 sacks in a season. Adding Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson Jr. and now Denico Autry, one can predict that the record will be broken. Denico Autry is the prototype Nose Tackle that coach Demeco Ryans loves in his system. Denico can also line up on the edge to rotate players on the defensive line, as we saw last season, it’s something Demeco Ryans does often. With the arsenal of firepower coming from the defensive line, it’s safe to say Denico Autry will have another 10+ sack season.
TRADES –
Joe Mixon – Running Back – Bengals
Second-year running back Dameon Pierce felt the presence of the “Sophomore Slump” and the injured offensive line did not help the cause at all. Texans did see some bright spots in the newly added Devin Singletary but hindered the offense by not getting going in many games. GM Nick Caserio knew one goal needed this off-season, fix the rushing attack. Devin Singletary left the Texans to sign with the New York Giants, which made Houston buyers this off-season for another running back. Highly sought running back Saquon Barkley was rumored to be interested in coming to Houston. The Texans did enter a bidding war for Barkley with the Philadelphia Eagles, results favored the Eagles with Barkley signing for 3 years, $37.75 Million.
The NFL seemed to be in the same position as the Texans, as running backs were being signed left and right. Luckily for the Texans, news out of Cincinnati, the Bengals and running back Joe Mixon were to part ways from each other. Instead of letting that occur, the Texans and the Bengals reached a deal to send Mixon to Houston. The smart move kept other teams from making another bidding war for another running back.
In the past seven years, Joe Mixon has a career total of 1,571 attempts, 6,412 yards, 49 touchdowns, and a yards per carry of 4.1. The Bengals rushing protection has never benefitted Mixon. Cincinnati’s rush protection was an average ranking of 27th. Yes, the Texans were middle of the pack last year when rushing protection is bright, but it is an improvement meant to what Mixon is accustomed to. Not only does Joe Mixon improve the Texans’ rushing attack, Mixon has been top 6 in the last seven years in receiving rankings in the running back category. This will allow Bobby Slowik to be a magician when it comes to calling plays.
Stefon Diggs – Wide Receiver – Bills
Come playoff time, Houston was dealing with an injury problem for the whole team. The biggest injury problem to the Texans came from the receiver position. Tank Dell suffered season season-ending injury and with Nico Collins & Noah Brown both facing nagging injuries, Houston found themselves with fewer playmakers. This forced the Texans to look to add more in the off-season, hence the Joe Mixon trade. Many predicted Houston would most likely add someone in the draft, but when Nick Cacerio traded the only first-round draft pick to Minnesota, moves were being made.
A deal was offered to the Las Angeles Chargers for Keenan Allen but was declined, and sent to Chicago instead. More signs pointed to draft for the Texans to address this need, well all the signs were wrong. Out of nowhere, news broke the Texans dealt Minnesota’s 2025 2nd round pick to Buffalo for Stefon Diggs, a 2024 4th round pick and a 2025 5th round pick. This instantly improved the Texans to contenders.
Stefon Diggs, 31, comes to Houston after an average season in Buffalo. Many factors come into play to the situation, the Bills offensive coordinator was let go midway to the season. Speculations came a front of a dispute between Josh Allen and Diggs, Stefon later in a news conference denied all the rumors stating, “I got a lot of love for that boy.” Houston Texans become Stefon Diggs’s 3rd team in nine years. In those 9 years, Diggs reached the Pro Bowl 4 times and was named All-Pro 2times. Pairing Stefon Diggs not only with CJ Stroud but with Nico Collins & Tank Dell makes this offense one of the most explosive offenses the NFL has ever seen. Once again Bobby Slowik will have an arsenal of plays due to the weapons he has to work with.
DRAFT –
2023 was a movie-type plot for the Texans when it came to their NFL Draft. Making moves, which landed CJ Stroud & Will Anderson Jr. in Houston turned the franchise around faster than anyone could have imagined. As stated before, the Texans surprised a lot of people with how good this team is. Going into this year’s draft, the strategy for GM Nick Caserio was depth! Trading away the 23rd overall pick solidified that ideal thinking. 2023’s season’s biggest test, all the injuries the Texans had to face. This year’s draft helped fix that issue.
Kamari Lassiter – CB – Georgia
With the 42nd overall pick, Houston selected a hard-working cornerback out of Georgia, Kamari Lassiter. Many questioned this pick due to Lassiter’s 40-yard dash time of 4.63. Worries about guarding speedy receivers, especially in the slot role. Luckily For Kamari, Demeco Ryans’ defensive scheme calls for a lot of zone packages, which can help with the speed of today’s receivers.
Lassiter caught the eye of Nick Caserio & Demeco Ryans by playing with grit and tenacity at the corner position. With the issue of speed, Lassiter helped the Georgia Bulldogs to two National Championships and was ranked the top defense three years straight. Even more impressive is the stats Lassiter produced in the 2023 college season. At the end of 2023, Lassiter compiled 136 yards allowed, 15 catches allowed, 38.5 reception percentage, 8 pass deflections, 3.5 tackles for loss, and the most impressive stat, did not allow one touchdown in his whole college stint. Having Derek Stingley Jr. as cornerback number one, allows Demeco to use Kamari Lassiter in many packages but also rotate all over the backfield to keep fresh legs on the field. Do not be surprised if Lassiter is named cornerback two on this year’s depth chart.
Blake Fisher – Tackle – Notre Dame
In 2023, Houston Texans played duck, duck, goose deciding who would play on the offensive line due to injuries. Beginning of the season, Pro Bowl tackle Laremy Tunsil and recently highly paid tackle Tytus Howard missed actions due to injuries. In the first two games of the 2023 season, CJ Stroud was sacked 11 times by the opposing defenses. Luckily for Stroud and the Texans, the coaching staff schemed around this issue. When picking at 59th overall in the draft, Caserio and company considered this, and selected highly praised offensive tackle from Notre Dame Blake Fisher.
Blake Fisher entered the NFL Combine with measuring at 6′ 6″ & 313 pounds. Fisher also impressed a lot of scouts at the combine, so much so, that many experts had Fisher comping at the end of round one and beginning of round two of the 2024 NFL Draft. Blake Fisher was ranked the top 3 Offensive Tackle on many NFL team boards. An amazing wingspan of 83″ and arm length of 34 3/8″ impressed Nick Caserio so much, that Fisher was picked by the Texans at the 59th overall. Blake Fisher’s gameplay matches his height and weight. Blake’s run and passing protection were ranked in the top 5 of all collegiate stats in 2023. Add all the intangibles of Fisher’s physicality with the stats produced in 2023, 7 games with 0 quarterback pressure and no sack allowed since 2022, makes this pick even more sense for the Texans.
CJ Stroud’s pace and trajectory will make him the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history, making the window for the Texans to win now. Texans front office made sure to make that statement with the off-season moves this year. With all that being said, expectations for the Texans have to be Super Bowl or bust. Anything short this year is a disappointment. Houston has a chance to make a statement this season, showing they are the top team in the NFL. This year will be a fun time to watch the Houston Texans in action. To hear and watch more coverage of the Houston Texans, subscribe to everything Texans Fan Battle to get your itch!
