The Houston Texans:

The Houston Texans, the better of the two teams in Texas, have been having a few problems lately as well as having plenty of chances to fix them. With all the changes happening, there have been a lot of predictions and ideas on what the team could possibly do next.

The Breakdown:
The 2019-2020 Houston Texans were among one of the top teams in the NFL. After losing the 2020 divisional game against the Kansas City Chiefs 51-31, the team started to fall apart. The world of football described that game as the “downfall of the Texans”, and they were right. The Texans began their breakdown after firing head coach Bill O’Brien and trading away star players like J.J. Watt, DeAndre Hopkins and more key starters. Fans were unhappy with the team ownership and coaching staff since the team could’ve been a deep playoff contender.

Following the 2020-2021 season, star quarterback Deshaun Watson requested a trade from the Texans organization after a disappointing 4-12 season. Watson lost his trust in the team after being lied to by the coaching staff. During the Texan’s 2021 offseason, Watson was accused of multiple sexual assault accusations leading to the star quarterback sitting out the upcoming season plus him not wanting to play in the first place, leaving the Texans with more problems to deal with.
The 2021-2022 regular season for the Houston Texas came to a close on Jan. 9, 2022, by losing a close game to the Tennessee Titans 28-25, finishing the season with a record of 4-13.

2022 Offseason:
After the firing of one-year head coach David Culley following the Bill O’Brian firing the year before, the Texans continue to look for someone that stands out to them. There were many coaching options for the Texans to choose from. The prospects were Jonathan Gannon, Brian Flores, Kevin O’Connell, Josh McCown, Hines Ward, and Joe Lombardi. After narrowing their selection to the final two, Texans Defensive coordinator Lovie Smith entered the head coach race increasing their finalists to three.

After taking serious consideration into who will be the next Texans head coach, the Texans hired their former defensive coordinator, Lovie Smith as the team’s new head coach. Coach Smith will be the head of staff leading into the 2022 NFL draft alongside general manager Nick Caserio. Having the third pick in the draft this year, the Texans have many options to pick from. Popular prospects such as Aidan Hutchinson and Evan Neal are two of the top players to pick from. Since two teams get to pick before the Texans in the draft, there is a chance they will not get who they want, and there is a possibility that the Texans trade their pick.

The Texans are in need of almost every position, one of the best options to choose from would be a defensive end, a defensive back and an offensive lineman. Assuming the top two prospects are out for the Texans, the two teams in front of them are the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions. Both of those teams are in need of key defensive players as well. In most cases, defensive end Aiden Hitchinson and offensive lineman Evan Neal are most likely to be picked. The likely scenario is that Evan Neal will go to the Jaguars and Aidan Hutchinson will go to the Lions, leaving talented prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux for the Texans.

Following the draft, free agency will kick off on March 16, 2022. Since not every position can be fulfilled from the draft, there are many possible free agents the Texans can pick up. To start off free agency, the Texans could sign Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette. The Texans have been lacking in the running back position for years, and have been resorting to a passing game for most of their plays. Another option that the Texans could sign is Cardinal’s defensive end, Chandler Jones.

During the 2021 season, the Texans were a “take away happy” defense that forced a lot of turnovers. Adding a solid defensive end to the team to pressure the quarterback can create more options for the team to force turnovers. Last but not least, Seahawks cornerback Quandre Diggs. Adding depth to the defensive side is just what the organization needs. Although takeaways were high, zone coverage and tackling weren’t at their best.

Overview:
The Texans have many problems to deal with. With new coaches and players, don’t be surprised that it’s going to take a long time for the franchise to be relevant again. Especially during the rebuilding stage. Patience is key.