After coming up short in their quest to win the AFC Championship at the very least last season, Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans are hoping for bigger and better heading into the upcoming campaign. However, following a wild offseason that saw the Texans make at least one, jaw-dropping trade, there’s a lot of uncertainty surround the Texans as they get set for the upcoming season. With the start of the 2020 campaign inching closer by the day, let’s find out what could lie in store for Houston this coming season.
Houston Texans Super Bowl LV Odds & Analysis After Draft
- Super Bowl Odds +3000
- AFC Championship Odds +2200
Texans Offense Analysis
Houston went 10-6 in the regular season a year ago while also going a modest 7-8-1 ATS. After getting past Buffalo in overtime in the wild card round, Houston was embarrassed by eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City 51-31 in the divisional round.
Offensively, the Texans finished the 2019 campaign ranked 13th overall, 15th in rushing, ninth in passing and 14th in scoring (23.6 ppg). To improve their offense in 2020, Houston re-signed veteran tackle Roderick Johnson, while adding veteran wide receivers Randall Cobb and DeAndre Carter, quarterback A.J. McCarron and tight end Darren Fells. Houston also traded a second round pick for Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
The Texans also drafted North Carolina tackle Charlie Heck in the fourth round and Rhode Island wide receiver Isaiah Coulter in the fifth round. The bad news is that head coach and recently named GM Bill O’Brien foolishly traded perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona for fading running back David Johnson in a move that shocked the entire league and NFL fans across the globe.
Texans Defense Analysis
While Houston has respectable on offense a year ago, they struggled mightily on defense in finishing 28th overall, 29th against the pass, 25th against the run and 19th in points allowed (24.1 ppg). To address their needs on the defensive side of the ball, the Texans signed veteran cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, safety Eric Murray, cornerbacks Bradley Roby and Philip Gaines, safety Jaylen Watkins and linebacker Tyrell Adams in free agency. Houston also drafted TCU defensive tackle Ross Blacklock in the second round, Florida linebacker Jonathan Greenard in the third round and Penn State cornerback John Reid in the fourth round.
Houston Texans 2020 Outlook
Now, maybe it’s me, but I’ve been calling for the firing of Bill O’Brien since the 2019 campaign ended. Following his extremely foolish trade of DeAndre Hopkins, I’m even more certain that O’Brien is not the guy to lead the Texans to the Promised Land. As a matter of fact, it really was a minor miracle – and a testament to the talents of gifted quarterback that Houston both, recorded a winning record in 2019 while inexplicably reaching the playoffs despite allowing more points per game (24.1 ppg) than they averaged (23.6 ppg).
Now, heading into 2020, I’m expecting the Texans to take a slight step backwards. Indianapolis should be better because of the addition of veteran quarterback Philip Rivers and Tennessee is back with a loaded and now, experienced team that reached the AFC Championship game last season. Houston’s addition of Randall Cobb was a nice move, but in no way, does it make up for the loss of the supremely talented Hopkins. Houston looks like a .500 team to me heading into 2020. Anything beyond eight wins will be another minor miracle.
