Houston Texans And Now We Build

By: Patrick Newsome

2024 was a very interesting year for the Houston Texans. It was supposed to be another rebuilding year in Houston, coming off a 3-13 record the year before and needing to find a new head coach, because Houston let go of Lovie Smith which was a controversial move in the locker room as well try to find the future of the quarterback position. A daunting task that the Texans have taken on numerous times in their short 23-year history. The Texans started the rebuild by hiring 49ers defensive coordinator and former Texans second-round pick DeMeco Ryans. Personally an amazing pick up for the organization, DeMeco exudes what it means to be a Texan and very few in the organization can say that. Fan support was immediate for DeMeco and soon to follow was the buzz among the Texans faithful that the organization had finally done something right, but soon we saw that they were not done yet. In the 2023 Draft, with the 2nd pick in the draft, the Texans selected C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State.

Although initially hesitant about the selection, my doubts were soon relieved by what was going on in spring training and pre-season. While Davis Mills was given the majority of the snaps, Stroud did see some playing time and while his stats didn’t jump off the page, many could see there was the foundation of something growing at the QB position. Given the reins to the team in week 1 the writing on the wall was first-year coach, rookie first-round QB while trying to find anything to build off of the horrific 3-13-1 record the year before. We had nothing to lose, the most we were looking for was to be competitive in games where we should be and at the very least show some kind of improvement so what’s the worst that can happen? Well, C.J.stroud is what happened and he did not disappoint putting together a 9-6 record, a wild card victory, and throwing for 4108 yards with 23 touchdowns and 5 INTs. That’s pretty impressive in and of itself but that’s not all, Stroud broke five NFL rookie records which include the most pass attempts (191) w/out an interception to start a career and the most passing yards (470) by a rookie in a single game among others.

While the season didn’t end the way we wanted it to in a divisional round exit is something that can be built on to hopefully sustain the success that we have found and continue to believe in the message, this season is just the beginning of something special.  On a side note as well is seeing a Texans legend finally get the recognition he is due. Andre Johnson was a pillar in my early football fandom with the Texans. He brought the toughness, the grit, and the swagger of the University of Miami and gave the early Texans offenses a voice when they really didn’t have one. No one deserves the honor of being the first Houston Texan in the NFL Hall of Fame more than Andre Johnson and he will forever be loved in the hearts of those true blue-blood Texans fans. 2024 and beyond is looking bright and with 67.5 million in cap space heading into free agency and the draft so there is room to move, maintain, and upgrade the team.

One thing that needs addressing is the defense. Giving up an average of 384 yards/game it has been very porous throughout the season forcing the offense to play from behind and in many cases become one dimensional so hopefully some of that cap space is used to secure up the defense. Another issue is the offensive line. While Stroud is mobile he shouldn’t rely on it because the line can’t hold their blocks. That line gave up 44 sacks, which is unacceptable if we want C.J. to be healthy and if we want to be a yearly playoff team. Time to see what happens this offseason, I’m excited, and Texans nation is excited, let the 2024 season begin and never forget, “We Are Texans!”