In the 2023 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans landed two top-ranked prospects. This is a team that is going to be better than we all think in 2023. I’m not ready to say that this is going to be a playoff team, but man, I’m not finding a lot of things on this roster to nitpick.
The Texans came in the 2023 offseason with a clear mission, and that was to land a potential franchise quarterback. Well, they seemed to have done that by taking CJ Stroud with the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Then, shockingly, they traded back up to the third overall pick to select the best defensive player in the NFL Draft in Will Anderson Jr, out of Alabama. Couple those additions with what they did in the offseason, and what they have now on paper seems truly legitimate.
They also have the luxury of playing in the AFC South, a hilariously weak division outside of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who look poised to take this division over for the next 10 years.
The Houston Texans hired former San Francisco 49ers‘ defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as their next head coach, replacing Lovie Smith. Ryans seems to be a universally well-thought-of coach. He’s a former player (and a very good one at that) who clearly brought energy and juice to the Niners’ defense.
His defense was also, by far, the best in the NFL in the 2022 season, so he wasn’t all show. Ryans got production out of his players and the Kyle Shanahan disciples seem to be doing a great job in the NFL as head coaches, so that gives us reason to believe that Ryans is going to be just fine.
The Houston Texans’ roster is underrated, in my opinion, especially on defense. Take a look at their current projected depth chart from ESPN.com and tell me where along their defense lies a true weakness.
Their defensive line is deep and features a solid mix of young and veteran players. Their inside linebackers also feel the same way and are quite a deep unit including players like Christian Kirksey, Denzel Perryman, Christian Harris, Cory Littleton, and rookie draft pick Henry To’oto’o.
Their secondary is as good as any other team in the NFL. They added Jimmie Ward in free agency and have two solid cornerbacks in Steven Nelson and Derek Stingley Jr. Their projected backups; Tavierre Thomas, MJ Stewart, Eric Murray, and Desmond King II round out an incredibly deep unit.
Offensively, projected starter CJ Stroud will have a nice core of weapons to use. Dameon Pierce ran like a madman in his rookie season and will now have Devin Singletary playing alongside him. Their WR core is unproven outside of Robert Woods, but they have encouraging young players like Nico Collins, John Metchie II, and rookie draft pick Tank Dell.
Their offensive line could use a bit more work, but they have the most important position settled with Laremy Tunsil at left tackle. They also recently inked stud guard Shaq Mason to a three-year contract extension. They took two centers in the 2023 NFL Draft in Juice Scruggs and Jarrett Patterson, so they’re adding bodies to the unit.
I think this team will get solid coaching, too. The Houston Texans are going to win 7-8 games and finish second in the AFC South, shocking many in the AFC and across the NFL.