The Houston Texans made massive moves this offseason.
They added a few key pieces like defensive end Danielle Hunter, defensive lineman Denico Autry, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and running back Joe Mixon. Those four replaced the major departures of Jonathan Greenard, Blake Cashman, Devin Singletary and Sheldon Rankins.
Houston also re-signed tight end Dalton Schultz and sent starting defensive tackle Maliek Collins to the San Francisco 49ers. While not included in this analysis, the Texans also traded out of the first round of the 2024 NFL draft to accrue more second-round picks.
For those efforts, Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger gave the Texans an “A” grade for their free agency moves.
On Hunter and Autry, Spielberger liked the two-year deals because “it lines up with the two years before Houston may have to reset the quarterback market with an extension for C.J. Stroud. Hunter, Anderson and fellow free-agent addition Denico Autry will be a force up front for DeMeco Ryans’ defense.” Meanwhile, Al-Shaair “adds a tenacity in run defense that benefits any team.”
The Texans still have holes to fill, though — particularly in the secondary, on the interior of the defensive line and are wide receiver. There are plenty of players still available if Houston wants to go down the free agent list. The Texans also looked at trades and should find quality players in the 2024 draft.
All in all, this was a great start to DeMeco Ryans and Nick Caserio’s second offseason together.
