The Houston Texans will kick off the 2023 NFL season in Week 1 by traveling to Maryland and facing Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on the league’s opening Sunday. There are several Texans trades that the team could make between now and then. Houston could look to find another pass rusher or add depth to the offensive line. But the best move the team can make with Week 1 on the horizon is to do everything in their power to support quarterback CJ Stroud and help make his rookie season successful. That is why Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown is the player to target for a last-minute Texans trade before Week 1 of the new season.

The Texans must trade for WR Marquise Brown before Week 1 of the upcoming season

With the news that the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, CJ Stroud, is officially the Texans starting quarterback for Week 1 of the new season, the new campaign becomes all about him.

Developing a franchise signal-caller is the most important thing an NFL organization can do, and after playing well in the preseason, Stroud looks like he could be that guy for the Texans. That means the team has to put as many good players around him as possible.

The Texans’ offensive line is solid, with one of the best left tackles in the league in Laremy Tunsil, young left guard Kenyon Green, rookie center Juice Scruggs, veteran right guard Shaq Mason, and right tackle Tytus Howard, who went out for four to six weeks three weeks ago, putting him on track to be back by the first few weeks of the season, if not the Texans’ Week 1 matchup.

Houston’s running back group is strong, with the ferocious second-year runner Dameon Pierce and offseason free-agent signing from the Buffalo Bills, Devin Singletary. At tight end, the team also upgraded in free agency with former Cowboys pass-catcher Dalton Schultz.

That’s a good start for Stroud, but the WR group is still problematic.

The starters look like 31-year-old well-traveled veteran Robert Woods, third-year wideout Nico Collins, who’s never crested 70 catches of 500 yards, and Noah Brown, who spent the last five seasons as the Dallas Cowboys’ third, fourth, or fifth receiver.

Houston does have two wild cards in rookie third-round pick Tank Dell and last year’s second-round pick John Metchie III, who is back after sitting out last season for cancer treatment.

The Texans need a WR who can be the No. 1 target, and no current player on the roster has been outside of Woods four years ago.

As luck would have it, though, the Cardinals have a player like that, and the team may be having a fire sale to tank the season for USC QB Caleb Williams next year. Marquise Brown is a WR1 who broke his foot last season but had 91 catches for 1,008 yards the year before that. He’s got speed and route-running ability that would help Stroud and take pressure off the team’s young, inexperienced WR corps.

Brown is also an excellent deep threat, which would create more space underneath for Stroud to operate in with his other pass-catchers. A player like Brown simply helps a young QB in many ways, which is why he is an ideal Texans trade target.

Houston’s only problem here is that they gave up next year’s first-round pick to the Cardinals already in order to draft pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. at No. 3. Giving up a second or third to get Brown would severely limit the Texans' ability to make moves or improve in the draft next season.

Still, if it means bringing in Marquise Brown now and accelerating CJ Stroud’s developmental timeline, it is a move worth considering.