The Houston Texans’ trading of three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins is the biggest demarcation of the 2020 offseason. Some USA TODAY Sports colleagues start with that decision as the focal point of all evaluation when it comes to the AFC South champions.
However, the Texans have improved in at least four areas since trading Nuk.
1. Running back
Realistically speaking, the Texans had an A grade in their receiving corps with Hopkins but a C grade with their running back stable. Though they took a hit to their receiving corps getting rid of Hopkins, by adding David Johnson, they did improve.
Before you say that Johnson is done and point out his 345 rushing yards through 13 games last year, consider the Texans traded for a running back last year who rushed for 571 yards through 14 games between two teams in 2018. The back was going to turn 29 years old by Week 4, and this player had never rushed for 1,000 yards in his career. That back turned out to be Carlos Hyde, and he produced 1,070 yards as a quick replacement for Lamar Miller.
Bill O’Brien’s undying commitment to establishing the run will give a veteran back a chance to reclaim his lost glory. Johnson is in the right offense to have a renaissance.
2. Edge rusher
Houston saw a need to fix their anemic pass rush and addressed the issue with third-round outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard from Florida. Along with defensive end J.J. Watt and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus, Greenard will join outside linebackers Brennan Scarlett, Jacob Martin, Duke Ejiofor, and defensive end Charles Omenihu in providing reinforcements for first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
3. Secondary
The Texans already have a loaded cornerback group, and drafting John Reid from Penn State in the fourth round gives Houston a high character individual who will bring versatility to the unit.
Houston also added Jaylen Watkins and Eric Murray to the back end, upgrading from Mike Adams and Jahleel Addae. The Texans parted ways with safety Tashaun Gipson, but they could be looking to add another safety on the back end.
4. Receiver
Think of the title of the article: “4 ways the Texans have gotten better since trading DeAndre Hopkins.”
At the moment they traded Hopkins, to go back to the loose grade from the running back vignette, Houston went from an A to a C. However, they made moves after the Hopkins trade to improve their receiving corps from a C to at least a B — that’s technically an improvement.
The Texans recovered the loss of Hopkins’ slot skills by signing receiver Randall Cobb. Houston added another speedy receiver opposite of Will Fuller by trading for Brandin Cooks. The drafting of Isaiah Coulter in the fifth-round could be seen as an improvement, but the Rhode Island alumnus’ impact possibly won’t be felt until 2021 at the earliest.
