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The Houston Texans are coming off of a 2018 campaign in which they won 11 games and captured the AFC South division title, but they were eliminated from the Wild Card Round of the playoffs by the Indianapolis Colts.
Really, it was the same old story for a Texans franchise that has regularly been unable to get over the hump, as they have not made it past the Divisional Round since joining the NFL in 2002.
Will 2019 finally be the year Houston breaks through?
There are certainly reasons for optimism, as Deshaun Watson could be going into a breakout third season and the team is getting healthier, but there are also some reasons to worry.
Here are three areas of concern for the Texans heading into 2019:
3. Chemistry in the Secondary
Houston made a couple of big additions to its secondary this offseason, signing safety Tashaun Gipson and cornerback Bradley Roby.
Gone is Tyrann Mathieu, who spent just one season with the Texans before signing with the Kansas City Chiefs. As for whom Roby is replacing? Houston's No. 2 cornerback spot has been a revolving door, so the Texans are hoping for some stability at the position.
Of course, there is a chance that Houston's defensive backfield will be improved from 2018, but developing chemistry is important.
The Texans ranked just 28th in passing defense in 2018, so they definitely needed to make some changes. Hopefully for them, the additions of Gipson and Roby prove to be difference makers.
2. The No. 2 Receiver
We all now that DeAndre Hopkins is the Texans' No. 1 receiver, but who is No. 2?
It should be Will Fuller, but Fuller has had a whole lot of trouble staying healthy and is coming off of a torn ACL. There is also second-year wide out Keke Coutee, who played in just six games in 2018 due to injury but was solid during that time.
It's not like the Texans are lacking in talent here. It's more of a question of whether or not either Fuller or Coutee will be able to stay on the field. If they do, Houston could have a really nice group of receivers. If not? Then Hopkins will be on his own, just like most of 2018.
1. The Offensive Line
The Texans have taken major steps to address their ailing offensive line this offseason, signing veteran Matt Kalil and drafting tackles Tytus Howard and Max Scharping in the first and third rounds of the NFL Draft, respectively.
But we can't ignore the fact that Houston's entire offensive line was basically a gaping hole in 2018, as Watson was sacked 62 times.
If the Texans want to have any chance of being a legitimate Super Bowl contender this coming season, their offensive line is going to have to be much, much better.
While Houston has done some work on it, much of the offensive line from 2018 is still in tact, meaning that Watson may still have to duck for cover whenever he drops back to pass.
This is, by far, the biggest area of concern for the Texans, and if the problem doesn't get fixed, Houston is going to have a whole lot of difficulties throughout the season.
