The Houston Texans, both rookies and veterans will be reporting for training camp today at their practice facility next to NRG Stadium. That’s bad news for the rest of the NFL, because aside from the reigning champions in Kansas City there may be no other club that has more cause to be excited about this coming season. Not only are the Texans already one of the top teams in the AFC, but they’re also the most-loaded in the leauge as far as talent under 25 years old. Here are four reasons why the rest of the NFL should be worried about Houston in 2024.
1. Franchise QB C.J. Stroud is just getting warmed up
The biggest reason why the Texans are a threat is at the game’s most important position, where C.J. Stroud just had what might be the most-impressive rookie season by a quarterback in modern NFL history. Despite having no experience, Stroud wound up leading the league in both touchdown-to-interception ratio and passing yards per game among QBs with at least nine starts. Stroud’s game is already remarkably polished for his age and he should only get better with more experience playing at the highest level.
History is also on Stroud and Houston’s side. According to Adam Schefter at ESPN, Stroud is one of eight quarterbacks to win a playoff game as a rookie since 1950. Five of the previous seven won another the next year and two went on to win the Super Bowl.
Last season C.J. Stroud became the 8th rookie starting QB since 1950 to win a playoff game. Good news for Houston? Five of the previous seven QBs also won a playoff game their second season and two of them, Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson, won the Super Bowl, per @EpKap. https://t.co/EqLLpI6fkE
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2024
2. Head coach DeMeco Ryans is the next Sean McVay
There’s no guarantee that Stroud will continue to improve and develop, but one reason why we’re confident he’s only going to get better is the coaching around him. Specifically, the Texans seem to have found the NFL’s next great young head coach in 39-year old DeMeco Ryans, who helped turn what was the worst team in the AFC to a dark-horse contender in just one season. Ryans’ immediate success calls to mind the fast ascension of Sean McVay with the Rams. In his first year he led them to an 11-5 record, a massive improvement from the 4-12 record they posted the previos year. After that excellent start, McVay led the Rams to the Super Bowl the following season. It’s a high bar to follow, but Ryans’ meteoric trajectory and his choice of game-wear make him look a whole lot like the next Sean McVay.
3. Stefon Diggs takes Houston’s offense to the next level
Real contenders need more than just a high-quality head coach/QB combination. They also need a strong supporting cast to lean on. Houston already had a pretty strong roster last season, but since then general manager Nick Caserio has gone out of his way to upgrade it in a major way. The biggest move they’ve made is trading for star wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who lands at the top of what might be the best wide receiver room in football. At the very least, Diggs will draw attention and open up opportunities for Nico Collins and Tank Dell, who are both coming off excellent 2023 seasons. Most likely Diggs will continue to post at least 1,000 yards and six touchdowns, as he has every year since 2018. Throw in tight end Dalton Schultz and running back Joe Mixon, and the Texans have surrounded Stroud with plenty of weapons at the skill positions to make a deep postseason run.
4. Their defensive line is going to be a problem
The one big potential flaw in this stew is Houston’s offensive line, which is ranked one of the worst in the NFL going into 2024. If offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik can scheme around that, the sky will be the limit for this team. However, they definitely don’t have to worry about the other side of the line of scrimmage, because the Texans have boosted their defensive line in a big way. Even though they lost Jonathan Greenard to the Vikings in free agency, they have since added two huge new pieces to replace him, and that qualifies as a significant upgrade. Four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Danielle Hunter will now flank the other side opposite Defensive Rookie of the Year winner Will Anderson Jr., and inside the highly-underrated Denico Autry will provide some punch, as well. On paper this looks like one of the best defensive lines in the league.
Zooming out, the Texans may want to consider adding some more experience to their offensive line, but no roster is perfect and their outlook right now is about as good as it gets for a young team. You have been warned.
