(M17 thread: https://forums.operationsports.com/f...-team-hub.html)
Houston Texans 2017 Year In Review
REGULAR SEASON
From the get-go, the Texans were out of sync this season. The defense played well all year, but the offense's struggles were so dire the first half of the season that the scores often didn't show it. They repeatedly gave opposing offenses the ball within FG range, and rookie Deshaun Watson led the league in pick-6s. However, things did start to shift around week 10. Watson started to figure out how to play at the NFL level, and under the radar he rose to the league leader in passing yards. His completion % started to rise, and the offense started to score 20+ regularly instead of the low teens average they were hovering around to start the year. His passing TDs were quietly mounting & he cut down his INTs immensely. He looked like a shoe-in for AFC OROY. Then, in week 15, Watson went down with an injury that would end his season during a win over division rival Jacksonville, with that the Texans' second half of optimism came to a screeching halt. They would finish 7-9 after their disatrous 3-8 start, failing to reach .500 after entering the season as preseason favorites to win the division.
2018 OFFSEASON
Following their 7-9 season, tough decisions had to be made. GM/HC Francis fired his DC and moved the defense back to its more natural 3-4 scheme fit. While the pass rush & run defense were both solid in 2017, neither were the scary threat they should be for a front 7 boasting JJ Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, & Whitney Mercilus. Though Clowney & Mercilus had big years, Watt never emerged as the dominant pass rusher spending all his time in the interior facing double teams, and there were long stretches in games where the team had trouble setting the edge vs the run. Moreover, Brian Cushing never adjusted to his new role as a 4-3 LOLB and was released in the offseason with last year's 2nd round pick Zach Cunningham ready to step into the WILB role alongside Bernardrick McKinney.
Houston overhauled their DL, signing 345 lb Sealver Silga to play the NT and 325 lb run stuffer Jesse Williams to add further depth, allowing Clowney & Mercilus to move back to OLB (though both are expected to rush the passer from a down stance plenty on passing downs).
The secondary also saw a face-lift, with long-time Texan Jonathan Joseph's contract expiring. CB remains a weak spot for this team, with last year's nickel CB Will Redmond stepping up into a full-time starter spot opposite standout Kevin Johnson.
Meanwhile, the Texans drafted two safeties who will challenge for a starting spot day 1. 3rd round pick Dawson Robertson already looks like the best free safety on the team, exciting coaches enough that the incumbent starter, Andre Hal, was released following a preseason of poor play. Unexpectedly, their 6th round rookie out of Tulsa, Perry Diggs, is challenging projected starter Lonnie Ballentine at strong safety after veteran SS Gilchrist was not offered a contract to return this season. Diggs is raw in coverage but plays with the kind of physical aggressiveness in the run game that Texans coaches like out of their SS. Given Houston's dire lack of draft picks, plucking two long-term starters out of the bunch could be seen as a major win--if they play well. It also could simply be a sign of the desperation level of the Texans secondary.
But the biggest hole of all last season wasn't the defense, it was offensive line, and critics are right to question the Texans' lack of shoring up this unit. They signed young C Kyle Friend to a multi-year deal, and he may be thrust into a starting job out of necessity due to the struggles of incumbent RG Jeff Allen, but Friend is likely not a long-term solution. Texans brass will look to free agency to see if there are any options and will surely chase surprise preseason cap casualty Joe Thomas, but insiders say the Texans are not near the top of his wish list.
The Texans are a younger team than a year ago, but a below .500 season followed by no 1st or 2nd round pick in one of the most stacked NFL drafts in recent history took its toll and has placed them behind the 8-ball heading into the 2018 season. Can Deshaun Watson & Co. overcome the shaky OL and bring them back to the playoffs?