HOUSTON—Coming to you from the surface of the sun and the home of a really good-looking football team. Let’s dive in on the Texans.
• The first question is going to be, of course, how C.J. Stroud looks, and it may be boring to say but he’s been steadier and more consistent this offseason, with a seriousness that underlies the big year he has in front of him. One thing that helps is that he’s been fully healthy throughout, which allowed him to take every physical rep in the spring and build some momentum headed into camp. The partnership between him and OC Nick Caley has grown, too, enabling Stroud to have more command of the offense, including taking on more of a leadership role with his teammates. The playoffs obviously didn’t go well; Stroud had seven turnovers against the Steelers and Patriots. But since then, he has responded the way the Texans would’ve wanted.
• The Texans deconstructed their offensive line coming out of 2024, believing that they’d run into a culture problem in the room. Essentially, what they were looking to do in the aftermath was match the culture DeMeco Ryans was able to establish on defense quickly. It’s fair to say that the uptick in mental and physical toughness is there now across an offense that’s really challenged the defense. On the morning I was here, the defense got the better of the offense, but that was after a week of camp in which the offense started to play the defense to a stalemate, besting them on some days (Will Anderson Jr. actually told me afterward the defensive guys wanted to make a point of reestablishing themselves today). Anyway, that the offense is ready for the fight in camp is a good sign that the retooling is starting to take place. And at the center of all this is that rebuilt line, with rookie Keylan Rutledge already emerging as a tone-setter (he’s been in a few scraps with defensive linemen), and Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith bringing a veteran presence.
• The skill-position group looks deeper, and a few second-year guys have had a lot to do with it. Jayden Higgins, the 34th pick in the 2025 draft, has taken a major step forward, and looks like a refined receiver now knows how to use his body, and could combine with Nico Collins to create a real matchup problem for defenses with their collective size (I used the comp early in the offseason I got that described the physical Collins as the power forward and the smoother, looser Higgins as the small forward). Jaylin Noel, the other 2025 draftee from Iowa State, had a strong spring, too. And running back Woody Marks is running with more patience and discipline, and should have a role alongside David Montgomery. One other name to watch here is rookie tight end Marlin Klein, who’s still figuring some things out, but has flashed very real potential.
• There had been some concerns with depth on the defensive line, with the departures of Derek Barnett and Denico Autry. But Houston brought Mario Edwards back after releasing him in March and, of course, signed Jadeveon Clowney, so some of that has already been allayed. On the inside, the staff feels like it has a chance to be even better than it was a year ago, with Tommy Togiai, now in his sixth year but still only 26, having put together an excellent offseason, and former second-round pick Logan Hall coming over from Tampa to give Houston a taller, longer presence than they’ve had at the position. Add those two to Sheldon Rankins and second-round rookie Kayden McDonald, and the talent, at the very least, is in place.
• So with Anderson, Derek Stingley Jr., Danielle Hunter and Kamari Lassiter and on and on and on, it’s fair to ask where the defense can improve. One answer I got, on a unit that returns 10 starters, was interesting—communication. Reed Blankenship comes over from Philly to play next to rising star Calen Bullock, who’s a year wiser, at safety. Jalen Pitre’s one of the smartest nickel players in the league. And Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To’oTo’o now have a ton of time on task in DC Matt Burke’s scheme. That’s enabled them, in practice, to adjust on the fly based on what the offense is showing them, and test their know-how as players to work in communication from the nerve center of the defense, in the middle of the field, out. And that should make the unit, health-permitting, even more terrifying in 2026. If that’s possible.
