With Super Bowl LVII in the rearview mirror, the 2023 NFL season has officially begun. Organizations such as the Houston Texans should have very busy offseasons with key decisions to make pretty soon.
In 2022, the Texans finished 3-13-1 and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third straight year. One of those wins came in Week 18 against the Indianapolis Colts. Houston was securing the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft with a loss but a last-minute touchdown and two-point conversion moved the team down to No. 2.
In addition to a high selection, Houston will have approximately $35.4 million of cap space to work with. It currently is the seventh-most space in the league, according to Spotrac. This means that first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans and the front office could be very active throughout the summer.
While the franchise has a long road to returning to the postseason, its decisions in the next few months could be big steps. With that being said, here are four bold predictions for the Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL offseason.
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4. Houston trades Brandin Cooks away
One player who has been in trade rumors for a long time for the Texans is Brandin Cooks. The wide receiver is heading into his 10th year in the league and has played for four different franchises.
This past season, he had 57 catches out of 93 targets for 699 yards and three touchdowns. He ended up leading the team in most of the receiving categories, including catches and yards.
Since he had a solid season compared to his teammates, other teams might show some interest in bringing him in as a WR2. The Texans could get a third-round pick in exchange for his services, which not only clears some cap space but allows them to select a young player who can be part of the team's rebuilding phase.
The bold prediction is that Houston will end up trading Cooks ahead of the 2023 draft. That way, it could already make plans on who it can pick on Day 2 or 3 depending on what it gets from the deal.
3. Texans improve defense via free agency
With a lot of its salary cap available for this offseason, Houston could go after some big names in free agency. Perhaps one of the team's main focuses should be improving its defense.
In 2022, the Texans allowed 24.7 points per game, ranking them only No. 27 in the league. Eight of their 13 losses were on one-possession games. This includes a 30-24 overtime loss to the Super Bowl winner Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15.
Because of that, the front office will try to go after new defenders in free agency to change that story. Some names that could be aiming for big contracts are Cincinnati's safety Jessie Bates III and Minnesota's defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson.
If the Texans go after some of these players, their defense could take a big jump right away. This way, they could close out games and maybe get more wins than expected.
2. Houston adds a wide receiver with the No. 12 pick
As it was previously mentioned, Cooks led the team in many receiving categories. However, he could be on his way out of Houston with a trade.
This means that the Texans would need to find his replacement pretty soon. With the focus going to the defensive unit in free agency, the bold prediction is that they will select a wide receiver with the No. 12 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
One option is USC's Jordan Addison. He earned First-team All-Pac-12 this past season, his lone with the Trojans. In 2021 at Pittsburgh, he was a Consensus All-American player and received the Fred Biletnikoff Award.
Another name that could be one of the first wideouts off the board is TCU's Quentin Johnston. In 2022, he caught 60 passes for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns. He played a big role in the Horned Frogs' surprising campaign that culminated in a National Championship Game appearance.
Should Houston select one of the two at No. 12, the offense should receive a big boost for 2023.
1. Texans stay at No. 2, select C.J. Stroud
While the Texans have a lot to do this offseason, all eyes are on the No. 2 pick in this year's draft. With so many trade rumors surrounding the top selections, so much can happen before the event in April.
The No. 1 pick has been in trade rumors since the Chicago Bears clinched the worst record in the NFL. Since they already have Justin Fields and the main prospect is quarterback Bryce Young, they could be trading down with another franchise.
The bold prediction is that the Texans will stay at No. 2 and will see another team jump to No. 1 and take Young. With that, Houston will end up selecting C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State. The two-time Heisman finalist could be a starter right away and, with the help of a young wideout, could significantly improve the Texans' offense in the 2023 season and beyond.
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