Heading into the 2024 season the Texans had high hopes where they aspired to build off the successful campaign they had in the 2023 season where they advanced to the divisional round with rookie quarterback C.J Stroud. The Texans were the trendy team in the offseason as a result of the media falling in love with rookie quarterback C.J Stroud. With him having one of the best rookie seasons ever and the Texans having one of the most successful seasons a team has had with a rookie quarterback. And one could certainly argue that it was also one of the best seasons ever had by a team with both a rookie coach and a rookie quarterback. The team ultimately was exposed in their postseason loss to the Baltimore Ravens were the Ravens clearly had far more talent and eventually pulled away winning by a final score of 34-10. Given all the hype surrounding the team this past offseason I was a bit lukewarm on them heading into the season as I thought the expectations of them getting to or winning the Super Bowl were a bit far-fetched and premature. Although making the postseason as they did in 2023 under any circumstance is no easy task especially with a rookie coach and quarterback. They still won easily the weakest division in the AFC and one of the weakest in the NFL as well, finishing just one game above .500 in doing so. Their performance in the postseason was solid but not spectacular as beating a 40-year-old Joe Flacco at home is nothing to write home about. Losing by three possessions in the next round is also relatively mundane as well. The hype surrounding the team this past offseason was mostly centered around the growth of head coach and quarterback combination C.J Stroud and DeMeco Ryans heading into their second season together. That combined with key offseason acquisitions such as Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter, and Joe Mixon. Me being of the mindset that they were indeed being overhyped this past offseason stemmed from their performance during the 2023 campaign being a bit overstated for aforementioned reasons. Along with me buying into C.J Stroud as the future face of the franchise and someone who the Texans can consistently vie for Super Bowls with, but him not being quite a generationally talented game changer at the position. That combined with me being high on DeMeco Ryans as a head coach but still having some question marks about him in particular as it pertained to him being a defensive minded coach in an offensive oriented league.
On the offensive side of the ball the Texans are led by star quarterback C.J Stroud and the Texans putting an emphasis on the skill position players around him. I have conducted an analysis of the team’s skill position players which can be found below. I have assigned each player a subjective grade that indicates how strong of players I deem them to be in totality based upon yearly statistical output and yearly subjective grades that were assigned to them by Pro Football Focus. The skill position players for the Houston Texans when healthy this past season ranked up there with that of any team in professional football.
WR1 – Nico Collins – A to A+
WR2 – Stefon Diggs – A to A-, free agent
WR3 – Tank Dell – B+ to A-
WR4 – John Metchie III – C to C- so far, 2023 second rounder
WR5 – Robert Woods – C, free agent
HB1 – Joe Mixon – B to B+
HB2 – Dameon Pierce – B
HB3 – Cam Akers – C to C+
TE1 – Dalton Schultz – B
TE2 – Brevin Jordan – B- in limited snaps
The Texans receiving core entering the season projected to be one of the premier receiving cores in professional football led by Stefon Diggs, a multiple time all-pro, Nico Collins who made the Pro Bowl in 2024, and Tank Dell who has struggled with injuries in his time in the NFL thus far but who has been very effective when playing. The team also added former Bengals standout Joe Mixon at the running back position this past offseason. The Texans offense during the 2024 regular season ranked 19th in points per game, 22nd in yards per game and were graded as the 17th best offense in the NFL this past regular season according to Pro Football Focus. The relatively pedestrian and mediocre production from the Texans on the offensive side of the ball despite the talent in the receiving core and C.J Stroud being a remarkable talent at the position can be attributed to the following. The offensive line play of Houston was amongst the worst in professional football. The Texans allowed the third most sacks this past season, ranked 22nd in pass blocking efficiency, and were graded as the 19th best pass blocking unit and the 27th best run blocking unit in professional football this past season according to Pro Football Focus. I have conducted a similar analysis of the teams offensive line which can be found below.
Texans Starting Five Offensive Line
LT – Laremy Tunsil – B+ to A-
LG – Kenyon Green – 2022 1st round pick, D to D- so far
C – Juice Scruggs – 2023 2nd round pick, C so far
RG – Shaq Mason – C+ to B-, previously B+ but had a career worst year as he is aging
RT – Tytus Howard – C to C+
Key Reserves on Texans Offensive Line
T – Blake Fisher – 2024 second round pick, D+ level production as a rookie
C – Jarrett Patterson – C to C+
G – Kendrick Green – C to C+, free agent
The team’s output on the offensive side of the ball is a large part if not the primary part of what did them in when they lost in the postseason to the Kansas City Chiefs. As they were only able to produce 14 points with quarterback C.J Stroud being sacked an alarming 8 times. In my personal assessment of the offensive line of the Houston Texans during the 2024 season and heading into the 2025 season I can offer the following. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil was the anchor of an otherwise relatively weak, young, and rebuilding offensive line. Tunsil ranked among the best starting left tackles in the NFL this past season as he had a career year. Tunsil throughout the duration of his career has been consistently a very good to a great pass protector and inconsistent but at times very effective as a run blocker. This past season Tunsil had a career year as he had one of his best seasons in terms of pass protection along with ranking above average as a run blocker as well. 2022 first round pick Kenyon Green started for the Texans at left guard and has been a bust so far in the NFL. In the two seasons where Green has logged substantial snaps for the Texans he has ranked among the worst offensive lineman in the NFL by any and all metrics. At the center position snaps were split between 2023 sixth rounder Jarrett Patterson and 2023 second rounder Juice Scruggs. Patterson had an effective rookie campaign where he ranked in the top 10 at his position in terms of pass protection albeit in relatively limited snaps. Patterson, however, regressed in his sophomore campaign where he was just mediocre at the position in terms of pass protection and run blocking. 2023 second rounder Juice Scruggs has been disappointing thus far in the NFL as he has ranked below average in every meaningful offensive line category since entering the league. Scruggs, however, has still been serviceable as he has not ranked among the worst players at his position like fellow young high draft pick Kenyon Green has. Veteran Shaq Mason along with Tunsil were supposed to be the anchors of an otherwise young offensive line but Mason regressed this past season as he is aging and he had a career worst season. Mason was known for being perhaps the premier run blocking guard in professional football entering this season but had easily his worst season blocking for the run in 2024. Mason was also effective as a pass protector although inconsistent entering this season and this year he had easily the worst season he has ever had protecting the passer. Mason ranked in the bottom 25% among players who logged a certain amount of snaps in both pass blocking efficiency and run blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus during the 2024 season. Whereas he ranked above average to well above average in both those categories for the majority of his career prior to this season. It remains to be seen if Mason can regain his form or if this season is a sign of things to come for the veteran. 2019 first round pick Tytus Howard rounds out the starting five for the Texans up front and is a below average starter who is likely best suited as a backup. In six years in the NFL now Howard has consistently graded and produced statistical output that is below average to well below average in almost every meaningful category including this season. However, Howard has had a few seasons where he ranked as either above average or well above average in terms of pass protection, including this past season as well. 2024 second round pick Blake Fisher played some snaps for the Texans this past season but struggled as he ranked in the bottom 10 among all players at his position in terms of offensive grade according to Pro Football Focus. 2021 third rounder Kendrick Green also logged some snaps for Houston this past season on the interior of the offensive line but was ineffective in doing so. Green has shown a lot of promise as a pass protector prior to this season as a former high draft pick but is now a free agent. As stated prior the Texans offensive line is ultimately one of the biggest factors if not the biggest factor that led to their ultimate playoff demise against the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round. Quarterback C.J Stroud was sacked 8 times and although Houston was able to run the ball effectively (averaging 5.1 yards per attempt on 149 yards), they would have been able to do so to an even greater level if the line play was even better. Houston is optimistic that a few of the younger players who were high draft picks who project to be on the roster next season such as Kenyon Green, Juice Scruggs, and Blake Fisher can really come into their own. Houston is also optimistic that former star Shaq Mason can regain the form he once had. Those are all big ifs however and given how close they played the Chiefs on the road in the postseason and how the offensive line play was perhaps the biggest thing that kept them from winning that game. The Texans should look to invest some of the limited cap space they have which currently ranks 24th in the NFL into the offensive front.
The receiving trio of Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell was as formidable as any trio of wide outs in the NFL before Diggs and Dell unfortunately sustained season ending injuries with Nico Collins also missing noticeable time due to injury as well. Nico Collins emerged as one of the premier wideouts in professional football this past season amassing over 1,000 yards despite missing five regular season games. Pro Football Focus graded Nico Collins as the number two wide receiver in the NFL during the 2024 regular season as well. Collins ranked #5 in that same category during the 2023 campaign in addition to it. 2023 third rounder Tank Dell graded (14/102) out of all qualified wide receivers in 2023 while ranking (41/110) in that same category this past season. Veteran wideout Stefon Diggs has consistently ranked among the better if not among the best wide receivers in the NFL during his time in the NFL. He graded (21/110) in terms of an offense grade among wide receivers who accumulated a certain amount of snaps this past season before sustaining a season ending injury. Diggs has also graded top 20 in that same category in the previous three seasons as well including a top 5 ranking in that category during the 2022 season. The reinforcements for the injured Dell and Diggs left much to be desired however as 2023 second round pick John Metchie III, veteran Robert Woods, and Xavier Hutchinson all graded among the worst players at the wide receiver spot during the time they filled in at wide receiver due to the injuries that were suffered. Stefon Diggs is a free agent heading into the offseason and is still producing at a borderline elite level and the team should really look to retain him at the right price. However, given the limited cap space they have and how they really should look into upgrading the offensive line with that limited cap space, it will be difficult to retain him. Tank Dell has now suffered a season ending injury in his first two seasons in the NFL and although it is unlikely he suffers a third straight season ending injury, he is officially an injury prone player that the team cannot rely upon to be healthy. Although he is still very young it remains to be seen if he can be just as effective coming off the gruesome injury he suffered this past season combined with the season-ending injury he suffered the year prior. Nico Collins as stated previously is emerging as one of the premier wide receivers in the NFL grading as the #2 wideout in professional football this past season according to Pro Football Focus. Collins has now missed multiple games in every season he has played and is also an injury prone player just like Tank Dell is. With the questionable health of Dell and to a lesser extent Nico Collins the team should emphasize re-signing star wide receiver Stefon Diggs who even though he is coming off a season ending injury is not an injury prone player as he missed a combined 1 game the previous three seasons combined. The tight end spot for the Houston Texans a season ago was emphasized even further due to the injuries that were sustained in the wide receiver unit. Dalton Schultz led the tight end unit for the Houston Texans this past season but had one of the weaker seasons of his career. Schultz accumulated over 500 receiving yards on over 50 receptions playing all 17 games but graded (31/45) in terms of an offense grade according to Pro Football Focus during the 2024 campaign. Compare that to him grading in the top 15 in that same category the previous three seasons. The team lacks a reliable number two tight end as the likes of Cade Stover and Brevin Jordan have not done much in the NFL thus far. Jordan has shown some high-end capabilities grading in the top 20 among tight ends in terms of offense grade in multiple seasons albeit in very limited snaps. 2024 4th rounder Cade Stover accounted for 15 receptions in 15 games as a rookie but graded among the weakest tight ends in professional football. The running back position for the Texans is strong as well led by former Bengals standout Joe Mixon along with Cam Akers and Dameon Pierce as well. Mixon, although his statistical production from a running the ball standpoint is relatively mundane as he has only reached the 5.0 yards per attempt mark on one occasion in his career, still consistently grades among the better halfbacks in the sport. The lack of high-level statistical output in terms of running the football from an efficiency standpoint relative to the high grades he is otherwise given by Pro Football Focus can be attributed to the weak offensive lines he has had to work with that the Bengals were notorious for consistently fielding and like the Texans fielded during this past season as well. Mixon has only had two instances in his career where he was graded below average among running backs. The remaining six seasons he was graded as above average to well above average. Dameon Pierce was second to Joe Mixon in terms of yards accumulated by a running back on the team. Pierce accounted for nearly 300 yards on an astounding 7.3 yards per attempt in 2024. Pierce had a down year in 2023 but in the remaining two seasons he has logged snaps he has graded as an above average to a well above average player. Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale serve as respectable number three and four halfbacks for the team as well.
Overall, the Texans on the offensive side of the ball struggled this past season primarily due to injuries in particular to two of their star wideouts with their third star wide out also missing notable time as well. The struggles can also be attributed to the disappointing lack of depth that was unfortunately behind the wide receivers who sustained injuries as well. As John Metchie III as a former second round pick has been a bust so far and former pro bowl wide out Robert Woods seems to be over the hill as well. All this combined with the Texans having a good but not a great HB/TE room, Stroud being a star quarterback but not necessarily one who is capable of overcoming chaos around him, combined with the below average to well below average offensive line play. All led to Houston’s offensive ranks all being mediocre and Houston exiting the postseason early in large part because they couldn’t produce enough points.
The 2023 Houston Texans were more-so a defensive story rather than an offensive story led by defensive minded head coach DeMeco Ryans. The Texans ranked 14th in the NFL in terms of points allowed along with ranking 6th in terms of yards per game allowed with Pro Football Focus grading them as the 10th best defense in professional football over the duration of the 2024 regular season. Although from a statistical standpoint the Texans were good but not great on defense, the Texans defense had perhaps the highest ceiling of any defense in the NFL. The Texans on the defensive side of the ball forced two of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL to each have perhaps the worst games they each have had as professionals. Bills quarterback Josh Allen was only able to complete nine of thirty passes vs Houston and Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw a career high 5 interceptions vs the Texans defense. No defense in the NFL this season was able to show this high of a ceiling on the defensive side of the ball. The Texans defense not ranking very high in terms of points and yards allowed is due to a lack of consistency and a lower floor on the defensive side that is evidenced by them allowing 30+ points to Minnesota and Baltimore this season. If the Texans defense can figure out a way to become more consistent next season, they should be able to win more regular season games and get a higher playoff seed as a result. Their high defensive ceiling showed in the postseason as well as they limited Justin Herbert to having one of his worst games as a professional and they neutralized Patrick Mahomes as well limiting him to less than 200 passing yards and limiting the Chiefs to only 23 points offensively. Consistency is their undoing however and perhaps if their defense was more consistent in the regular season, they could have clinched a higher seed entering postseason play potentially avoiding Kansas City in the divisional round.
The defense of Houston was led by a very good front seven along with a stout secondary and I have placed a similar analysis of the teams defensive personnel which can be found below.
Front Seven
LDE – Will Anderson Jr – A-
LDT – Tim Settle Jr – C to C+
RDT – Fatukasi – C+, free agent
RDE – Danielle Hunter – B+ to A-
WLB – Azeez Al-Shaair – B+
MLB – Jake Hansen – B+ to A-, free agent
SLB – Henry To’o-To’o – C so far, 5th round 2023
Notable Front seven reserves
LDE – Derek Barnett – B-, free agent
LDT – Mario Edwards Jr – C+ to B-, free agent
RDT – Kurt Hinish – C to C+, free agent
RDE – Denico Autry – C+ to B-
SLB – Neville Hewitt – C+, free agent
LDE – Jerry Hughes – C+ to B-, free agent
DL – Khalil Davis – C+
Secondary Starters
LCB1 – Derek Stingley Jr – B+ to A-, third overall pick 2022
SS – Calen Bullock – D+ so far, third round 2024
FS -Jimmie Ward – B+
RCB1– Kamari Lassiter – B to B+ so far, second round 2024
NB1 – Jalen Pitre – B to B+, second round 2022
Key Secondary Reserves
SS – Eric Murray – C, free agent
CB – M.J Stewart – C+, free agent
CB – Kadar Hollman – C, free agent
In my personal assessment of each unit of the Houston defense I can offer the following. The front seven of the Texans defense is headlined by standout edge rushers Will Anderson Jr and Danielle Hunter. In my personal assessment of the remaining players in the front seven outside of Anderson Jr and Hunter, I graded two players as above average in linebackers Jake Hansen and Azeez Al-Shaair. However, both of those players missed substantial time if not most of the 2024 campaign due to injuries or suspension. The remaining three positions in the Texans front seven had several average caliber players alternate in filling them throughout the duration of the 2024 season.
As you can see from the above date Anderson Jr and Hunter are the standouts of the front seven as they both consistently rank among the better if not the best players at their respective positions. Al-Shaair and Hansen are very strong players as well but Hansen played only 6 games during the 2024 regular season and Al-Shaair was suspended for six games as well. The Texans ranked 11th in the NFL in rush yards per game allowed during the 2024 season and were 5th in the NFL in sacks. The Texans’ front seven is very good but perhaps the team should look into upgrading it further by adding some high impact players in the remaining three position on their front seven which are currently filled by pretty average players. Houston should also look to retain linebacker Jake Hansen who is an impending free agent who missed a good amount of time this past season due to injury but who is very effective when playing. Doing the above could lead to Houston’s front seven taking the step from very good to great.
The secondary for the Houston Texans is their calling card as they allowed the sixth fewest passing yards in the NFL this past season with the aforementioned career worst performances, they consistently elicited from some of the game’s premier quarterbacks.
Most of the players in Houston’s secondary are all very young and the Texans are optimistic that they can continue to grow in order for Houston to field one of the premier pass defenses in the NFL like they did this past season. The secondary for Houston was perhaps the strong suit of the entire team as you can see from the above data and their output as a pass defense was up there with anyone if not surpassing that of anyone in professional football during the 2024 campaign.
Overall, on the defensive side of the ball the Texans were as good if not better than anyone in totality as a defense during the 2024 season. They had three of the best defensive performances a team has had all season, forcing career worst games out of some of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL when Houston faced Buffalo, Detroit, and the Los Angeles Chargers. The Texans finished the postseason being graded as the #2 defense in the playoffs according to Pro Football Focus only slightly behind eventual Super Bowl Champions Eagles. Houston should look into adding some more high-level players in their front seven so the talent in their front seven can match that that they have on the back end of their defense. Doing this will also allow Houston’s defense to become more consistent as well which as stated previously was their undoing. As despite having perhaps the highest ceiling of any defense in the NFL they still only finished 14th in points allowed in the regular season.
Houston’s special teams play or lack thereof is what many if not most are pointing to as to why their season ended in the divisional round to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans special team’s unit was graded as (19/32) according to Pro Football Focus during the 2024 regular season. Overall, the team’s kicker Kaimi Fairbairn ranked (15/38) in terms of field goal grade in the regular season and punter Tommy Townsend ranked (12/34) in terms of punt grade in the regular season. Dameon Pierce finished graded as the #1 returner in professional football returning kicks for Houston although he did return far less than the average amount. Punt returner Robert Woods finished graded as an average punt returner as the team’s primary man in that aspect of special teams. Based on the above data the special teams were solid in regular season play but really let the team down come the playoffs. Kicker Kaimi Fairbairn missed the only extra point he attempted along with missing two out of four field goals as well. The special teams also let up a very lengthy opening kickoff return placing Kansas City in field goal range before Mahomes even took the field. The Texans defense actually neutralized the Chiefs on that opening drive but the Chiefs were still able to come away with three points because of the poor special teams play on the opening kickoff. If the opening kick return was held in check by Houston, then the Chiefs would have likely not scored any points on their opening drive. The Chiefs played essentially a flawless game on special teams not letting up a big kick/punt return or missing a field goal/extra point. While the Texans made more than a few costly errors in the third aspect of the game. If Houston had not let up such a lengthy opening kick return the Chiefs would have scored 0 points on their opening drive instead of the 3 that they scored. Kicker Fairbairn left 7 points on the board missing the two field goals and the extra point that he missed. Add up those total and that is a 10-point swing in the Texans direction due to special teams play in a game which Houston lost by 9 points.
Overall, with the Houston Texans fans should be optimistic for the future as they were able to build upon the season they had in 2023 where Stroud was a rookie. They were able to win their division and a wild card game for a second consecutive season and instead of losing by three possessions on the road to one of the premier AFC teams where the game was not entirely a contest. They lost a closely fought two possession game on the road to a similar type of opponent. If the Texans can maintain a similar if not a better caliber of play in their skill positions and on defense, while upgrading the offensive line and being better on special teams, they easily could be in the conference championship game or better next season. The Texans looking forward will still get to play in one of the weakest divisions in the NFL where Jacksonville cannot seem to find the right coach to pair with superstar talent Trevor Lawrence, the Colts have far too much uncertainty at the quarterback position, and the Titans are currently picking first in the draft. Houston has a bona-fide franchise quarterback capable of contending for MVPs and Super Bowls. Houston has perhaps the premier defensive mind in the game of football as well in head coach DeMeco Ryans. However, I still do not favor the Texans going forward in the AFC as much as the Ravens, Chiefs, Bengals, or Bills as I still believe that those quarterbacks are on another level compared to C.J Stroud. Those teams have shown the ability to get to conference titles and Super Bowls whereas Houston has not as of yet. In the AFC South I am still of the mindset that from a raw talent standpoint Trevor Lawrence is still better than Stroud in that regard and that he is just the right coach away from consistently outperforming Stroud in terms of wins/losses along with individual output as well. However C.J Stroud is still a borderline elite talent and the Texans as of now are still the premier team in the AFC South.
