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The Houston Texans once again struggled in 2021, finishing the season 4-13. They enter the 2022 NFL offseason with a lot of questions on both sides of the ball. There is also the elephant in the room in the name of DeShaun Watson, who is still potentially facing criminal charges to go along with all of the civil suits he is facing.
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The AFC South is not an un-winnable division. Even though it is unlikely Houston can make a run at the division crown this upcoming season, the potential is there for the future. A lot of that will depend on what the Texans general manager Nick Caserio does this offseason.
Here are the three moves the Houston Texans must make during the 2022 NFL offseason.
3 Moves the Texans Must Make This Offseason
3. TRADE DESHAUN WATSON
The McNair family and Caserio already explored the idea of trading franchise quarterback DeShaun Watson last season. They were ultimately unable to make a deal, despite fielding a bunch of offers and interest.
If Caserio is wise, he will look to make this move sooner than later.
Listen, there is no doubt that Watson on the field is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The problem has everything to do with what has happened off of the field. Thankfully for the Texans, morals and ethics are pushed aside quite frequently in professional football.
However, Houston might need to push the envelope a bit to get a deal done. Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has expressed a lot of interest, but given the asking price, balked at a deal last year until all of the litigation was taken care. I believe Houston should lower their asking price in order to move Watson.
The criminal investigation is still pending. But the civil cases are now commencing and Watson is set to testify under oath in those cases. Anything he says can and will be used against him in the criminal probe. Usually, a player's criminality is taken care of first, and then things are handled in civil court afterward. But that is not how this is playing out. So, time is of the essence.
With 22 civil suits against him, and the potential for criminal charges pending, Houston needs to cut bait. At this point, in order to make a deal happen, they will likely need to lower the offer to maybe one first-round pick and maybe a couple second-round picks. Houston reportedly was asking for three first-round picks last season.
.@schrotenboer with a look inside Deshaun Watson's defense strategy. https://t.co/tFjbNK6PMx
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) February 25, 2022
But as more information comes to light, the possibility that Watson never sees the field again only grows. If I am Houston, I take what I can get and look to build for the future with it.
2. DRAFT AND BUILD AN OFFENSIVE LINE – GET A RUNNING BACK TO RUN BEHIND IT
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The Houston Texans finished dead last in rushing in 2021. They averaged less than 84 yards per game on the ground. Even worse, they only picked up 3.4 yards per carry. The Texans were so bad at running the football, they almost had more fumbled rushing (5) than rushing touchdowns (8). That's dreadful.
Their run blocking was among the worst in the league. Houston should use a couple of their draft picks on offensive lineman and hope to rebuild the trenches.
It certainly did not help having David Johnson and Rex Burkhead as the team's top options in the backfield. Johnson is a shell of his former self and Burkhead is a good change-of-pace back, but not much more.
Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon is set to become an unrestricted free agent. With the emergence of Javonte Williams in Denver, it's very unlikely they re-sign Gordon. But Gordon showed last season he still has some legs left. Despite splitting playing time evenly with Williams, he had over 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns. Gordon could be a decent upgrade and should not cost too much because of his age.
Update: #Broncos RB Melvin Gordon, who is a free agent this offseason, says he does not want to “take a backseat” to Javonte Williams
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) February 19, 2022
1. RE-SIGN DEFENSIVE TACKLE MALIEK COLLINS
As bad as the Texans rush offense was, their rush defense was equally bad. They allowed over 142 rushing yards per game and 25 touchdowns. That ranked 31st in the NFL last season. Clearly, the rush defense was a major problem. The secondary was actually decent.
The Texans defensive line ranked dead last by Pro Football Focus with a grade of 47. The one bright spot up front was defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who graded out at 64. Houston cannot afford to get even worse up front. As the team looks to rebuild, it is too difficult always facing double digit deficits for any young quarterback. Whether it's Davis Mills or someone the Texans draft, this is likely to happen. That's especially true if they let Collins walk in free agency this offseason.
