Establishing the Establishment of the Run
If there's one thing you can say about Houston's 2026 draft class – and their offseason as a whole if you look at how they approached free agency on offense – it's that they believe they need to control the ball better through establishing their own run game.
What to get for the side of the ball that has it all?
The battle on the offensive side of the ball to make things right is real. David Montgomery was brought in to fix the run game. There are new veteran offensive linemen at left guard and right tackle, and I'd be stunned if they didn't take an
Willing it into existence
I would not say the Houston Texans had an offseason that solves all their problems, but that's only because their problems, to me, were beyond the grasp of money. Nick Caley and C.J. Stroud are the two most important people for the franchise's success and
A new look Texans offensive line, just like every other year
In 2024, the starting Texans offensive line was Laremy Tunsil, Kenyon Green, Juice Scruggs, Shaq Mason, and Tytus Howard. None of those players are Texans today. In fact, the only offensive linemen on that roster still on the team today are Jarrett Patterson and Blake Fisher,
David Montgomery, Tytus Howard, and everything after
The Texans had a Joe Mixon-sized hole last season that they never fixed, and trading for David Montgomery fills it in. As good as last year's team was, Woody Marks simply wasn't ready (or able) to be a full-time back. The rookie back checked
A Winter Of Stroud's Content: The Betrayal
The scene: A January Sunday in the outskirts of Houston, Texas. The writer is exhausted. He worked Saturday night in addition to having full childcare responsibilities while his wife was sick. The TV is on. He has sworn not to live-write about this game on social media because doing
Retaining Nick Caley: No other targets or no other ambition?
I know, I know, you all want the next Stroud post. Sorry, this is a little more pressing to me. (And it kind of ties in to Stroud anyway.) The Texans went from minus-12.4% offensive DVOA (26th) in 2024 to minus-2.4% DVOA (19th) in 2025. In
A winter of Stroud’s Content: The Fumblening
Playing an MNF playoff game as a Sun Belt team that rarely gets any national attention and has an obvious weak point is a little like someone stopping by unannounced for dinner. I can’t hide everything in time. We don’t normally eat in the dining room and also
Smart Bullies and Dumb Bullies
The most important tidbit I got out of Tyler Dunne's fantastic two-part series on the Texans defense was this, from defensive coordinator Matt Burke: The defense will change when someone actually challenges it. They haven't really been tested in that way so far. So the
Did the Texans miss Laremy Tunsil?
The 2025 offseason began with a surprise – the Texans trading Laremy Tunsil and a fourth-round pick for a second-round pick, a third-round pick, a fourth-round pick, and a seventh-round pick over the next two years. Laremy Tunsil has been, if not an All-Pro in
A Winter Of Stroud's Content, Pt. III: The Ask
The NFL is always unfair to its young quarterbacks in some major way. Last year, CJ Stroud was asked to deal with the world’s dumbest offensive line stunt pickups. The sort of stuff that would be inexcusable in any major college program, let alone in the NFL. The offensive