‘T’was the night before,’ — wait, it is only July; must save that famous line is reserved for Dec. 25. Or that may be a phrase used by some Houston Texans fans on Sept. 10 when the team kicks off the regular season in Baltimore.
Either way, the excitement missing from the last two seasons in Houston has returned as the Texans begin preparing for the regular season starting Wednesday when they open their 2023 training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center.
Many questions will need to be answered throughout training camp, such as:
Who will stand out and be the number one wide receiver?
Is cornerback Steven Nelson happy that the team acquired another player that could take his starting position?
What is the health status of offensive lineman Kenyon Green?
Will this be a breakout season for defensive lineman Jonathan Greenard?
The Texans have made some moves this offseason that will finally give the organization some direction moving forward. A new coach in DeMeco Ryans gives Houston a solid foundation in the leadership department, which was something that was something that was genuinely missed with the consecutive one-and-done coaches in David Culley and Lovie Smith.
Ryans won’t get the immediate results he wants this season. Still, by bringing the former Texans linebacker back home, Houston is sending a message that they want to get back into a position of competing for a chance to win the division and have an opportunity to make a deep playoff run.
General manager Nick Caserio watched as the team struggled at the quarterback position last season, with former offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton using the “DriskelCat” system with Davis Mills and Jeff Driskel sharing snaps late in the season. He immediately resolved that issue by drafting Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud second overall in the 2023 NFL draft.
Although Caserio and Ryans have previously stated that there will be a competition battle for the starting position, barring injury, Stroud should be under center when the Texans open the season on the road against the Ravens.
Caserio was not done after taking care of the offensive side of the ball by drafting Stroud. He made sure that Ryans, whose previous job was leading one of the league’s best defenses in San Francisco, also had some help. Caserio was also witness to the woes of a defensive line that ranked last in rush yards allowed. Trading with the Arizona Cardinals for the third overall pick and using it on Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson should help alleviate that problem this season.
The enthusiasm of the fans and the organization has been at an all-time high this past offseason, but now it is time to see if they can put it all together and produce wins, which has been lacking in the past three seasons in which they averaged less than five.
