It’s been a rough three-year stretch for the Houston Texans. However, there are signs that this team could be headed in the right direction.
Dating back to 2020, the team owns an embarrassing 11-39-1 win record. That’s a far cry from a team that in 2019, won its sixth division title in eight seasons and (including playoffs) finished with an 11-7 overall record.
So far this offseason, there’s been nothing but positives regarding the Houston Texans. There was the hiring of former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator and former Texans two-time Pro Bowl linebacker DeMeco Ryans as head coach. He and general manager Nick Caserio have done a solid job in terms of adding talent, be it via free agency or April’s NFL draft.
Left tackle Laremy Tunsil enters his fifth season with the franchise. The three-time Pro Bowler recently shared his feeling about what’s going on with the club these days.
“It’s a whole new vibe, man,” said the seven-year veteran on The Pat McAfee Show late last week (via Nick Shook of NFL.com). “DeMeco came in with that energy he brought from San Fran and just changed the whole vibe around the building, and that’s something that we needed, especially since these last past three years we’ve been in a rut. So DeMeco comes in the building, he brought some new coaches, we’ve got some new players. Man, it’s just a whole new vibe that’s in that building. It feels great to be there.”
There’s not only a new vibe but a lot of new talent via free agency and trades. On offense, Caserio added the likes of wide receivers Robert Woods (Titans) and Noah Brown (Cowboys), tight end Dalton Schultz (Cowboys), and running back Devin Singletary (Bills). He also swung a deal for eight-year veteran guard Shaq Mason, late of the Buccaneers.
On the other side of the ball, the new additions include defensive linemen Hassan Ridgeway (49ers) and Sheldon Rankins (Jets), linebackers Cory Littleton (Panthers) and Denzel Perryman (Raiders), and defensive backs Jimmie Ward (49ers) and Shaquill Griffin (Jaguars).
The cherries on this offseason sundae came on the first night of the draft. Caserio took Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick, traded for the third selection, and grabbed University of Alabama pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr.
As previously mentioned, there are a lot of new faces and they’re led by Ryans. A year ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars bounced back from four straight last-place finishes to win the AFC South. Could there be some “deja vibe” when it comes to the Texans?