One of the more optimistic aspects of the Houston Texans’ 2023 offseason is their abundance of salary cap space.
The Texans have the fourth-most salary cap space in the league with over $37.1 million. Along with the Texans’ two first-round picks and six selections in the top-103 of the draft, Houston should be able to sign effective veterans in free agency to accelerate the turnaround.
What has been instrumental to the Texans being to have such cap space is their lack of dead money. Consider throughout the 2022 season the Texans lost $52.7 million to 16 players. Houston was constrained in their ability to add talent and had to ride out 2022 for better or worse.
As the Texans are set to enter free agency in March, the Texans owe just $901,995 in dead money, incidentally the fourth-least in the league. Most of the money goes to defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, who was traded to the Minnesota Vikings at the end of preseason.
Having the salary cap space and the draft capital is what will help general manager Nick Caserio and rookie coach DeMeco Ryans form a more competitive roster in 2023.
“We kind of know what good football looks like,” Caserio said. “We’ve got to make it Houston Texans football. What does good football look like for the Houston Texans? I think we philosophically believe in a lot of the same things, so we have to put our imprint on it as we go. And I think that’s what excites us the most.”
The Kansas City Chiefs have the lowest dead money in the league at $98,428. The Philadelphia Eagles have the most with over $46.5 million.
