HOUSTON – When the Houston Texans opened training camp Thursday morning, it was hard to ignore the juxtaposition surrounding this NFL franchise.
Angry gray clouds hovered over the team’s practice fields, threatening another in a seemingly endless series of storms since Hurricane Beryl struck the city on July 8. A parking lot away, hundreds of trailers, trucks and electrical workers were gathering for another day. to restore service to the 2.2 million residents who lost power due to the oppressive heat of July. That number included a large portion of the Texans’ organization, from the coaching staff to the players and a multitude of team personnel. Even the team’s home field was hit, with huge strands of NRG Stadium’s roof torn away by 90-mile-per-hour winds.
As you can imagine, all of this has made power a huge topic of conversation in this city right now – who has it, who has lost it, and who is responsible for the mess left behind. And in the middle of it all, you have the Texans beginning one of their most anticipated seasons in team history. Putting a team on the field that has had the opposite of a loss of energy this offseason, bringing an intense spotlight to a squad with an embarrassment of energy.
Quarterback CJ Stroud is a preseason MVP candidate. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is a virtual lock for head coaching offers next offseason. What about the Texans as a franchise? Well, if they aren’t a dark horse Super Bowl pick now, that seems like an inevitability in the coming months.
That’s how good these Texans can be. They are neck-deep in local and national hype — or “rat poison,” as coach DeMeco Ryans once called it, borrowing colorful terminology from former Alabama coach Nick Saban. But Ryans is right. Without a doubt, the initial applause is present and difficult to ignore. From valuing a front office that has masterfully rebuilt and balanced the depth chart with young and veteran talent, to a coaching staff that is destined to be invaded by other franchises, to a roster that should worry the rest of the AFC.
Viewed from a broader perspective, the implication is simple. Just like the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals before them, Houston is a team that should worry the Kansas City Chiefs. If this were a heavyweight boxing circuit, the Texans have the talent and drive of the No. 1 contender. Not that the Texans want to hear that.
“What do you expect for yourself? That’s what I asked our guys yesterday,” Ryans said. “It’s not about what people say on the outside. It doesn’t change who you are. It’s about who you think you are, what you think you can achieve and accomplish as a player. That’s the only thing that matters to me. Expectations are always internally driven. So if our guys hold themselves high, we’ll go high. That’s how I want guys to think.”
“What is said outside the building? It has no impact on anything we do,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said. “Talking never wins games. Expectations never win games. Good football and good execution win games. This is what will happen. The rest, honestly, is a huge waste of time spending time on things that don’t matter or that we don’t control.”
It’s a predictable and familiar mantra from Caserio, who spent 20 years with the New England Patriots improving personnel and honing their belief system. Not to mention the managerial and evaluation skills that became a vital necessity when Caserio found himself in front of a Deshaun Watson disaster that would have crippled most franchises for a decade, if not longer. But Caserio and his front office have not only weathered multiple storms within the organization, but also emerged with a trinity of individuals now defined as the pillars for everything that is bigger and better: Ryans as head coach, Stroud as quarterback, and edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., who has already earned a reputation as the team’s “mini-DeMeco” – a nickname that speaks to the leadership and talent that made him team captain as a rookie last season.
Of course, this trio is not alone. The depth chart is filled with impactful young talent who are rising faster than anyone could imagine. From Anderson, cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and safety Jalen Pitre on defense, to Stroud and wideouts Nico Collins and Tank Dell on offense. In the meantime, the roster is bolstered by a large number of veterans ranging from All-Pro-level talent to key rotation pieces. On offense, that depth of talent and leadership includes left tackle Laremy Tunsil, wideout Stefon Diggs, tight end Dalton Schultz and running back Joe Mixon. On defense are Danielle Hunter, defensive tackle Denico Autry and safety Jimmie Ward. And more additions aren’t out of the question either. The Texans still have enough salary cap space — more than $15 million — to tweak the roster with some late veteran additions before the season. And make no mistake, they are watching.
In fact, the biggest problems the Texans face may be figuring out how to maximize the talent on offense and keep everyone fed. Collins, Diggs and Dell could all be 1,000-yard receivers if they were given receiving targets. Mixon still has the talent to be a 1,000-yard, three-down running back. And despite modest numbers in 2023, Schultz still has the ability to be a top-10 prospect in the league. And more than anything, it puts Stroud squarely in an MVP pipeline if he avoids injuries. If everyone is healthy and the offensive line lives up to its talent, one of two things seems likely: Either the Texans will have a record-setting offense in 2024 or the skill position players will have to adjust. sharing your opportunities. Maybe both, with Diggs being the element that helps push the limits of the playbook.
As Stroud said: “Stef is someone who can definitely open up her playbook. But we have all these guys around. He will also say this. So he’s a five-headed monster. It’s definitely really cool to just have a bunch of options.”
What all this talent means, how it actually comes to fruition in 2024, is the journey that began Thursday. No one expected to improve on a 10-win season. Reshape the competing structure of the AFC in a way that makes the AFC South a center of power again. Meeting the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 and showing that Stroud can go everywhere Josh Allen went… and then some. Then construct a schedule that pits the Texans against the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens in Weeks 16 and 17, which should be a defining moment on the road to the Super Bowl.
That’s what it means for Houston to have juice again. Enough to get the attention of Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and the rest of the Chiefs. Whether they want to hear it or not, the Texans are cutting the image of the next heavyweight contender for AFC and Super Bowl dominance in Kansas City.
