Nobody was expecting much from the Texans last season, but there was at least some optimism that they might be trending in the right direction. Instead, they regressed, winning just three games. This marked their lowest single season total since their abysmal 2013 season. A win in Week 18 took them out of contention for the first overall pick and head coach Lovie Smith was subsequently fired after just one season at the helm.
Roster changes
2023 was always going to be a big offseason for the Texans and their activity in free agency reflect that. They made a bunch of big moves, acquiring a handful of players who should start this season. This includes Robert Woods and Dalton Schultz on offense, as well as Sheldon Rankins and Jimmie Ward on defense, the latter following new head coach DeMeco Ryans from San Francisco. They also made a smart move to trade a sixth round pick for Buccaneers’ guard Shaq Mason.
Their biggest loss was certainly Brandin Cooks, who led the team in catches and receiving yards in 2022. They also saw edge duo Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and Rasheem Green leave for the Browns and Bears respectively. The two had combined for 63 pressures in 2022. They also cut starting right guard AJ Cann and saw last year’s starting safety Jonathan Owens depart for the Packers.
Coaching situation
With Lovie Smith relieved of his duties at the end of the season, the Texans hired 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as his replacement. Ryans has naturally brought in his own team, meaning plenty of new faces on Houston’s coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has followed him over from the 49ers, where he served as the team’s passing game coordinator. Defensive coordinator Matt Burke has joined from the Arizona Cardinals.
Outside of coordinator positions, Ryans has kept a large amount of the Texans coaching staff to ensure a degree of continuity in his first season. This includes Danny Barrett, who has been elevated to assistant head coach after spending six seasons as the Texans’ running back coach. Barrett has over 25 years of coaching experience in the NFL, something that will no doubt be vital in the early days of this new regime.
2023 NFL Draft
| Pick | Player |
| 1.2 | CJ Stroud – QB, Ohio State |
| 1.3 | Will Anderson – EDGE, Alabama |
| 2.62 | Juice Scruggs – IOL, Penn State |
| 3.69 | Nathaniel Dell – WR, Houston |
| 4.109 | Dylan Horton – EDGE, TCU |
| 5.167 | Henry To’oTo’o – LB, Alabama |
| 6.201 | Jarrett Patterson – IOL, Notre Dame |
| 6.205 | Xavier Hutchinson – WR, Iowa State |
| 7.248 | Brandon Hill – S, Pittsburgh |
The Texans got their quarterback of the future in CJ Stroud, before trading up for a stud edge rusher in Will Anderson. The wisdom of the trade up is certainly open to question, but there is no doubting Anderson’s talent. They even managed to get potential plus contributors in the later rounds, with a dynamic pass catcher in Nathaniel Dell and a cerebral linebacker in Henry To’oTo’o.
Offense
You can’t talk about the new look Texans offense without mentioning CJ Stroud. DeMeco Ryans hired Bobby Slowik to bring across his version of the so-called Shanahan offense and Stroud is an absolutely perfect fit for that scheme. His numbers on play action passes in 2022 show as much. Stroud completed 69.1 per cent of such attempts, averaging 10.9 yards per attempt and throwing for 18 touchdowns to just two interceptions.
The new offense should also play to the strengths of star running back Dameon Pierce. During Slowik’s time in San Francisco the offense diversified its running game, with the rate of gap scheme runs increasing by almost 10 per cent from 2021 to 2022. Pierce’s power and contact balance makes him a natural fit on gap runs. He averaged 4.4 yards on these runs in 2022 and broke 21 tackles on 98 such attempts. He will also be running behind an offensive line that looks to be Houston’s best in quite some time.
Whilst there is a lot to like about the Texans’ offense, it would be remiss not to highlight the serious concerns surrounding their receiving corps. There are certainly a lot of solid pass catchers – Robert Woods, Dalton Schultz, and John Metchie to name a few – but with Brandin Cooks gone the team lacks a true alpha pass catcher who is capable of winning consistently in one-on-ones. That isn’t ideal, especially with a rookie under center, and could limit their effectiveness out of the gate.
Defense
There is real change on defense too. DeMeco Ryans will bring a major shift in focus and you can expect this Texans defense to look very different from a schematic perspective. Under Lovie Smith they ran a tonne of Cover 2 – the gap between the Texans and second place was as big as the gap from second to 12th! Whilst Ryans will continue to run a primarily two-high scheme, he’ll do it in a very different way, with plenty of Cover 4 and Cover 6.
He’s got an intriguing secondary to make that switch with. Houston has managed to cultivate an exciting blend of youth and experience that should serve them well in 2022. Derek Stingley looks like he could be in for a big sophomore season, whilst Jalen Pitre showed a tonne of promise as a rookie. Jimmie Ward gives them a strong veteran presence with experience in the new system and he should help to tie everything together.
The concern with this defense is not one that Ryans ever faced in San Francisco, and that’s a weakness in the trenches. After all, this is a scheme that is reliant on the ability to consistently win with the front four. Whilst the addition of Will Anderson in the draft was big and Sheldon Rankins is a nice acquisition in free agency, this still doesn’t seem like an imposing unit. If they can’t find a way to make this work early on it could be pretty rough.
Prediction
After a handful of miserable seasons as the bottom feeders of the NFL, it feels like the Texans are finally trending in the right direction. That doesn’t mean they will be a good team immediately though. With a rookie quarterback and a first time head coach, it could take a little while for things to click.
