INDIANAPOLIS — The Houston Texans were in a terrible position in January 2021 when general manager Nick Caserio took the job.
The Texans weren’t going to pick until the third round in his first draft. Their franchise quarterback, who just signed an extension the September prior, wanted out. Keeping or cutting the quarterback would be a salary cap burden.
Houston looked at least two years away from not being the worst team in the NFL, let alone competing for a playoff spot.
According to Caserio, the Texans did not operate that way. Rather, the Texans approached each season as its own challenge.
“I have never talked about timeline,” Caserio said. “I’ve never talked about rebuild. What we’ve tried to do, each year is its own entity, kind of look at our team, try to build a team for that year, focus on 2023 with an eye to 2024.”
The any concept of a timeline has been in a two-year window, according to Caserio, which is typical for NFL teams.
“We try to look at it in two-year windows,” said Caserio. “So, 2023 and 2024, how are you positioned, draft capital, players under contract, cap space, all those types of things. It’s kind of a moving target.”
What the Texans are looking to do in 2023 as they assemble their squad is maintain the ability to react successfully.
Said Caserio: “You have to be ready to adjust and adapt and as you go. The more flexibility you have, that’s what our mindset has always been.”
The Texans have 12 draft picks in the 2023 NFL draft and over $37.1 million in salary cap space. The resources the Texans have available should help them build a competitive team in 2023 and also have optimism to carry into 2024.
