Subscribe
Follow Us
The Houston Texans have some serious work ahead of them in the offseason as the organization attempts to clean up Bill O'Brien's mess and build a competitive roster around franchise QB Deshaun Watson.
To start, the team will need a new general manager to spearhead the process. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the franchise is eyeing Baltimore Ravens executive vice president Ozzie Newsome, 64, who oversaw two Super Bowl-winning teams during his tenure as Ravens GM. Newsome has yet to show an interest in stepping away from Baltimore to run another NFL team, per La Canfora.
Houston will interview a slew of candidates for the job, and the new hire will have numerous major decisions to make before the 2021 season kicks off.
The Texans have to make a coaching decision. While 73-year-old interim head coach Romeo Crennel is a full-time candidate, the franchise might wind up going in another direction.
Houston also needs to find Watson some playmakers. The 25-year-old has been marvelous in 2020, throwing for 30 touchdowns against six picks with a career-high 112.2 passer rating. However, he has been unable to compensate for the shortcomings of the roster around him, and the Texans have a 4-11 record entering Week 17.
To make matters worse, the Miami Dolphins own Houston's first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
Beyond finding Watson some help, the Texans will have to decide whether to trade defensive end J.J. Watt.
Rumors have swirled throughout the season about the prospect of trading the 31-year-old to a contender — perhaps to petrify QBs alongside his brother, T.J., on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The three-time Defensive Player of the Year has done little to dampen the speculation and has spoken candidly about his uncertain future in Houston:
“There's a whole lot of unknowns, so we'll see what happens,” Watt said on Thursday, via Aaron Reiss of The Athletic. “I don't have any guarantees left in my contract, so something's gotta happen one way or another.”
In 2014, Watt signed a six-year, $100 million extension with Houston. 2021 will mark the final year of his deal — $17.5 million in base salary — and does not come with a dead cap hit if he were to be dealt. Last spring, Watt said he would not ask the Texans for another extension.
