Houston Texans Have Had a Very Respectable Offseason

Houston has struggled to win games the past two years but things may be looking up for the once-formidable Texans after this offseason.

It’s an NFL franchise that has hit the skids the past two seasons. There was a time that the Houston Texans were winning AFC South titles on a regular basis. In fact, from 2011-19, the club captured six division crowns in a nine-year span.

In 2019, quarterback Deshaun Watson and company won the AFC South with a 10-6 mark. They rallied to beat the Buffalo Bills in overtime in the wild card round and owned a quick 24-0 lead at Arrowhead Stadium over the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional playoffs before collapsing.

But the past two seasons, thanks to some questionable decision-making when it came to personnel, have been nightmarish. In a year in which Watson would lead the NFL in passing yards, the Texans won only four games in 2020. This past year, Houston once again came up with only four victories but rookie quarterback Davis Mills did show some promise, All told, the franchise owns a combined 8-25 record the past two seasons.

In 2021, Watson never saw the field due to a number of factors. Now he’s a member of the Cleveland Browns in a trade that gave the Texans six picks over these next three drafts – including first-round selection this year, as well as 2023 and 2024.

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Now general manager Nick Caserio, new head coach Lovie Smith (the team’s defensive coordinator in 2021) and the Texans head into this year’s NFL draft with 11 selections. That includes the third and 13th overall picks, as well as multiple choices in both the third and fourth rounds. It’s a far cry from a year ago, when the franchise drafted just five players and didn’t make its first choice until the third round.

Meanwhile, the team has made some interesting signings this offseason. Veteran guard A.J. Cann, late of the rival Jacksonville Jaguars, signed on. And the Texans added another AFC South performer in productive running back Marlon Mack, a standout with the Indianapolis Colts before an Achilles’ injury sidelined him for nearly all of 2020. And veteran cornerback Steven Nelson, who spent 2021 with the Philadelphia Eagles, joins Smith’s defense.

The Tennessee Titans have won the last two AFC South titles. But in a league where teams rise from the ashes fairly quickly, the Texans bear watching – especially if they hit the jackpot in late April in Las Vegas.