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As was the case in the last offseason, the Houston Texans are expected to see a multitude of changes both on and off the field.
The Texans have still not yet hired a new head coach, although the likes of former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon are presumed to be among their top picks to fill the vacancy. It remains to be seen whether such a decision may be finalized before Super Bowl 56.
On the field, Texans general manager Nick Caserio sure will have plenty of work to do in the coming months to revamp the team from the top to the bottom. The Texans offense had a season marred by the constant uncertainty at the quarterback position. Tyrod Taylor was slotted in as Houston’s starting quarterback at the start of the 2021 campaign, but his injury-riddled season allowed for rookie passer Davis Mills to earn crucial starts.
On the other side of the ball, the Texans did not have much to go their way over the course of the campaign, as they ranked in the bottom 10 in both passing yards and rushing yards allowed per game.
The Texans are among multiple AFC teams in the NFL that are not one player or one position fix away from emerging as a keen contender for a playoff berth next season. Still, Caserio must work to rejuvenate this position in the offseason.
Biggest need the Texans must address in the offseason
The Texans are set to face a multitude of dilemmas in the offseason, which include the uncertain future of quarterback Deshaun Watson. Nonetheless, Caserio will certainly need to address an area of play that simply lacked for them in the past two seasons: rush offense.
Over the latter half of the last decade, the Texans called upon talents such as Lamar Miller and Carlos Hyde to lead their rush offense. The two surely helped to produce a balanced offensive attack during their respective runs in Houston.
Now, the Texans bolster one of the least efficient rush offenses in the NFL today. Over the 2021 campaign, they ranked last in rushing yards per game (83.6) and yards per rush attempt (3.39).
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Now-former Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly had a carousel at the running back position, as five different talents logged at least 30 carries over the campaign. Among them, Rex Burkhead (35.5 percent) wound up being the lone running back on the roster who featured in at least 30 percent of snaps on offense in the season.
In the few instances that the Texans had keen productivity from their rushing attack, it sure helped to balance out the offense. Two out of their four wins in the season came when they notched at least 100 rushing yards, including their upset home win over the Los Angeles Chargers, where Burkhead and Royce Freeman combined for 183 rushing yards.
As it stands, Burkhead is currently the only notable running back on Houston’s roster from last season that is set to return for the 2022 campaign. Philip Lindsay (Dolphins) and Mark Ingram (New Orleans Saints) each parted ways with the team during the regular season, while Freeman and David Johnson will be unrestricted free agents in March.
If the Texans aim to roll out a multidimensional offense, then they should shy away from opting for a running back by committee. Thus, Caserio could end up looking towards the draft and the free agency period to haul in a running back or two.
Depending on just how much in cap space Caserio aspires to put aside for a running back, the Texans sure will have plenty of options to reinforce the position. The likes of James Conner and Darrel Williams could potentially be low-risk, high-reward options. They each have not only proven to be versatile downfield runners but can also play an instrumental role in the passing game. For one, Conner is just coming off of a notable season with the Arizona Cardinals where he logged 37 receptions and a career-high 10.1 receiving yards per reception average.
The 2022 NFL Draft will feature multiple agile running backs who also have what it takes to be a factor in both the rush and pass offense. For one, former Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III could possibly be a value pick for Houston in the third-round, although the team has picked a mere one running back (D’Onta Foreman, No. 89 overall in 2017) in the top three rounds in the past 11 drafts.
A pivotal offseason is looming ahead for the Texans in just a few months.
