Welcome to 32 teams in 32 days. To get us through the offseason, we’ll be examining every team in the NFL, in order of projected 2025 win totals. Up next: the Texans.
The Houston Texans were trending in the wrong direction based on the headlines they generated this offseason.
It may look bad on the surface, but the Texans’ bold decisions to trade left tackle Laremy Tunsil and offensive guard Kenyon Green could pay off in the long run.
As for more important news, the sky stopped falling in Houston after C.J. Stroud made highlight throws in front of reporters during mandatory minicamp last month. Rumors swirled about Stroud possibly dealing with a serious injury to his throwing arm after he was held out from open offseason workouts due to what coach DeMeco Ryans described as general soreness.
Stroud could be headed for a prolific season with the additions of Christian Kirk and rookie Iowa State products Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel to give Houston plenty of depth at wide receiver behind No. 1 target Nico Collins. However, that hinges on the Texans finding the right starting combination for their offensive line.
Defensively, Ryans could have another top-10 unit with a loaded front and back end. Edge rusher Danielle Hunter and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. cashed in with new contract extensions this offseason. It won’t be long before the team breaks the bank for edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., who could contend for the Defensive Player of the Year award in his third NFL season.
Let’s take a closer look at the Texans.
What’s at stake this season: Houston’s retooled offensive line
Tunsil is one of the best tackles in the league, but changes were needed to an offensive line that had been disappointing over the past two years.
Last season, the unit struggled to protect Stroud, allowing 54 sacks, which tied for the third most in the league, behind only the Chicago Bears (68) and Cleveland Browns (66). The year before, the offensive line failed to provide consistent running lanes, leading the team to trade for running back Joe Mixon to address that area.
Houston didn’t help itself when it traded out of the first round in April and waited until pick No. 48 to select offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery in the second round. However, the team added depth to the offensive line and maybe the competitive environment could lead to better results than the past two seasons.
Four of the five starting jobs are available this summer, with Tytus Howard penciled in for one of the two guard spots. Cam Robinson, Trent Brown, Ersery and Blake Fisher are battling for the tackle spots, and Laken Tomlinson, Juice Scruggs, Jake Andrews and Jarrett Patterson are up for the interior positions.
It makes sense why the Texans made these bold decisions, but there’s a possibility that these moves could backfire and producing a worse offensive line, which could quickly derail the Texans’ 2025 season.
Biggest question going into training camp: How much do the RBs have left?
Joe Mixon will turn 29 later this month and has had at least 210 carries in the past four seasons, including last year in his first season with the Texans when he rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns. The team recently added help, signing of Nick Chubb, but the 29-year-old running back struggled to find his top form last year after returning from a significant knee injury sustained in 2023.
There’s also Dameon Pierce, but he hasn’t proven to be a consistent playmaker in recent seasons. Perhaps Houston gets some juice from rookie fourth-round pick Woody Marks.
Sources are saying: Texans made the right decision with Noel
With holes on the offensive line, the Texans weren’t expected to take a second wide receiver with their first three picks in the draft, but they couldn’t resist reuniting Noel with Higgins. Houston made the right decision to double down on wide receiver because Noel is the total package on and off the field, according to one of his former coaches, who raved about Noel as a player and person.
“When I saw they took [Higgins], it was crazy,” Noel says about being drafted in the third round by the Texans after they took Higgins. “For them to call me, it was [GM] Nick Caserio with the Texans, my mind was just blown because I was like, ‘I’m going to team up with my guy again.’ It was a super cool moment.”
Breakout player candidate/X-factor: Rookie WR Jayden Higgins
According to local reports from OTAs, Higgins didn’t waste time impressing his teammates and coaches with his sizable catch radius and efficient movements to get open.
So far, the draft comparisons to Collins and other big-bodied playmakers appear to be true for the 6' 4," 215-pound Higgins. And it’s obvious the Texans have high hopes for the Iowa State product after making him the first second-round pick in NFL history to get a fully guaranteed rookie contract.
Head coach-quarterback tandem ranking: 12
After a tremendous rookie season, Stroud struggled through his sophomore campaign. In 17 games, Stroud threw for 3,727 yards and 20 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, helping Houston win its second consecutive AFC South title. Defensively, the Texans ranked fourth in yards per play, with Ryans overseeing a group loaded on the front and back ends. —Matt Verderame
Fantasy pick: Mixon
Mixon was fantastic during the first half of last season, ranking sixth in fantasy points among running backs over the first 13 weeks. The wheels fell off after that, however, as Mixon was the RB43 based on total points scored over the final five weeks. He scored no more than 10.6 points in a game and was held to single digits three times. With the additions of Chubb and Marks, Mixon is a risk-reward No. 2 fantasy running back in most 2025 drafts. —Michael Fabiano
Best bet: Win the AFC South (+115) via DraftKings
The Texans likely overperformed during their impressive 2023 season, but I think they underperformed in ’24, which now makes them a bit underrated in the betting market heading into ’25. They may still be a step below the top contenders in the AFC, but they’re the clear team to beat in their division. Replacing offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik with former Rams assistant coach Nick Caley is going to do wonders for Stroud and this Texans offense. —Iain McMillan
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 32 Teams in 32 Days: Texans’ Bold Trades Could Pay Off in 2025.