After a 51-31 heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs, the Houston Texans’ season is officially over. The Texans ended the 2019 campaign 10-6 with their second AFC South title in a row.
The Texans head into the offseason with many holes and much room for improvement.
Offensive Line
One of the biggest issues for the Texans this past season was the pass protection for quarterback Deshaun Watson. Coach Bill O’ Brien tried to address this issue early on by making a trade for star left tackle Laremy Tunsil and drafting offensive lineman Tytus Howard in the first round of the NFL draft. Even with these moves, the Texans still ranked 25th overall in sacks in 2019.
The right side of the offensive line struggled all year long, especially when Howard was out.
With holes on the right side of the line, the Texans may have the opportunity to go after guard Brandon Scherff in the upcoming free agency class as Washington failed to get a long-term extension done with him.
defensive line
One of the most obvious troubles for the Texans this season was their inability to stop anyone’s passing game. The Texans ended the season fourth-worst in terms of passing defense, and much of that is at the fault of the porous pass rush.
The Texans pass rush was almost irrelevant this season as they ranked 6th worst in sacks, and also near the bottom in terms of quarterback pressure. Outside of J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus, the Texans don’t have another elite edge defender. With Watt and Mercilus both getting older, the Texans will need to find a young pass rusher who can help push the unit over the top.
Some notable upcoming free agents that could help in the pass rush are Leonard Williams, Vic Beasley, and, coincidentally, Jadeveon Clowney.
Secondary
Another glaring issue in the Texans defense is their secondary. The Texans ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in terms of interceptions and tackles.
After losing safety, Tyrann Mathieu in the 2019 offseason, the Texans had to scramble to find a replacement. The Texans were able to sign former Pro Bowl safety, Tashaun Gipson, to replace Mathieu for 2019. Though it seemed like a great move for the Texans, Gipson played hurt almost the whole season and wasn’t able to perform to the best of his ability.
News also came out that young, talented safety Justin Reid played the whole year with a bad shoulder injury that required surgery. Outside of the addition of Bradley Roby, the Texans secondary seemed very depleted and under performed heavily.
The Texans were able to make some mid-season moves to help their depleted secondary by adding two former first-round picks in Vernon Hargreaves and Gareon Conley, but those moves alone were not enough to revamp the secondary. Some notable free agents that could help in the secondary are Chris Harris, Jimmy Smith, and Ronald Darby.
With a fresh start ahead of the Texans, they need to fill the holes on their team to reach the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl for Houston.
