With the brand new league 12 months kicking off March 12, NFL groups are already deep into planning for the offseason.
Listed below are 5 strikes the Houston Texans ought to make within the coming months.
1. Add extensive receiver Cooper Kupp
The Texans need assistance at extensive receiver. Stefon Diggs is a free agent and is coming off a season-ending ACL harm. Tank Dell can be recovering from a season-ending torn ACL and is not anticipated again for the beginning of the season.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans employed former Rams offensive assistant Nick Caley as offensive coordinator earlier this offseason. He served as L.A.’s passing recreation coordinator in 2024 after teaching tight ends in New England (2017-22) and Los Angeles (2023).
Caley’s familiarity with Kupp may make the Tremendous Bowl LVI MVP enticing to Houston.
Final season, Kupp appeared in 12 video games and had 67 receptions, 710 yards and 6 landing catches. Per Pro Football Focus, his 2.7 % drop charge was tied with Bengals extensive receiver Tee Higgins for the seventh lowest amongst 38 extensive receivers with at the least 100 targets.
2. Choose an inside offensive lineman early within the NFL Draft
The offensive line was Houston’s weakest hyperlink final season. Per NFL Pro, the Texans allowed the league’s fifth-highest quarterback strain charge (37.9 %). In addition they struggled in run-blocking conditions, with Houston ending the season second in stuffed-run charge (21 %).
In late February, Ryans steered the offensive teaching change — the group additionally employed Cole Popovich as its offensive line coach — may result in improved unit, however the third-year head coach should not solely depend on a distinction in scheme to result in completely different outcomes. Houston ought to have a number of stable choices at offensive line to select from within the early rounds and may’t go away with out one.
3. Restructure contracts of offensive tackles Laremy Tunsil, Tytus Howard
Tunsil ($28.85M) and Howard ($23.046M) have two of the group’s three largest cap figures in 2025. Per Over The Cap, Houston ranks twenty fourth in out there cap area ($4.5M) and will save $23.2M by changing a few of their tackles’ base salaries into bonus funds.
Houston’s offensive line was final season, however Tunsil was among the many league’s finest tackles. He was No. 10 in ESPN’s pass-block win-rate rankings amongst offensive tackles. Per Pro Football Focus, the left sort out was solely answerable for 12.1 % of the pressures on quarterback C.J. Stroud, the second-lowest accountability charge amongst left tackles whose quarterback was pressured at the least 50 instances.
In 12 video games at proper sort out earlier than ending the season at left guard, Howard averaged permitting 2.5 pressures on 39.8 strain makes an attempt per recreation.
4. Lengthen cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.
Houston’s 2022 first-round decide (No. 3 general) is getting into the fourth 12 months of his rookie contract. The 2024 All-Professional has established himself as one of many league’s finest corners, placing him in line to exceed the extension cornerback Patrick Surtain II signed with the Broncos (4 years, $96M) final offseason that made the 2024 Related Press Defensive Participant of the Yr the league’s highest-paid cornerback.
Amongst gamers focused at the least 50 instances when the closest defender in protection, Stingley ranked fourth in catch charge over anticipated, permitting a reception 8.4 share factors lower than anticipated. He allowed 42 receptions on 90 targets for 444 yards. (h/t NFL Pro)
Stingley ended the season with 5 interceptions, making him the one participant within the NFL with at the least 5 interceptions in every of the previous two seasons.
5. Signal a veteran defensive sort out in free company
The Texans are skinny in the course of their line of defense with tackles Folorunso Fatukasi and Mario Edwards Jr. set to develop into unrestricted free brokers March 12. Amongst Houston’s defensive tackles, solely Tim Settle performed the next share of his out there snaps than Edwards or Fatukasi, according to Pro Football Reference.
The Texans may improve on the place in free company by including a participant corresponding to Jets defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw, a robust inside pass-rusher with a historical past with Ryans from their time collectively in San Francisco. Another choice is Bengals defensive lineman B.J. Hill, top-of-the-line free-agent inside run-defenders. Both one may take an already-stout Houston protection to the following degree.
