Expectations for the Texans in 2024
The Texans had a Cinderella run last year, surpassing all expectations and winning the AFC South. They made it to the playoffs and whooped on the banged-up Browns. Then, they got whooped themselves by the Ravens. This offseason, they clearly were not satisfied with their roster, and they’ve taken some serious strides to take it to the next level. With all these changes, what should we expect of the Texans in 2024?
For starters, they need to win the AFC South. They did it last year, but the division was noticeably weaker than it is this year. In 2023, the Texans swept the Titans and split their series against the Colts and Jaguars. The Colts were very banged up last season, and are coming into 2024 healthy. Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr., and newcomer Adonai Mitchell are primed to make some noise in the AFC. The Jaguars lost Calvin Ridley, but they bolstered their receiving core with Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis. They also really improved their interior offensive line with Ezra Cleveland and Mitch Morse. The Jaguars were really bad offensively last year, I expect a big bounce-back year for them this year. The Titans added Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard to their offense. They also lost their head coach, Mike Vrabel, and their best player in Derrick Henry. Will Levis is entering his second year, and even if he is able to break out, there isn’t much of a path for them to finish better than third in the division.
Secondly, the offense must be top five in the league. The Texans went out and added even more serious weapons to their offense. They were already a lethal aerial attack, and they added Stefon Diggs. The one thing that held back their offense was their running game. Part of this can be attributed to the offensive line, but they were able to get some good games out of Devin Singletary. So, they went out and got Joe Mixon, who will certainly be better than both Singletary and Dameon Pierce were last season. Adding Mixon should give the rest of the offense a lift, forcing defenses to at least respect the run game a bit more. Adding Diggs means you can run 3 wide receiver sets, and you can’t afford to double anybody. The Texans have no excuse to be anywhere but in the conversation with the Chiefs, Bengals, 49ers, and Dolphins.
On the other side of the ball, the defense needs to keep up. Demeco Ryans is a defensive coach, and the Texans certainly had a priority in mind this offseason. They went out and added serious depth to their defense, as well as one of the biggest names on the pass rusher market: Danielle Hunter. The defense is certainly still young, but with a very promising young secondary, a strong edge rush, and their offense putting pressure on teams, this defense absolutely must be top 12 in the league.
Last, and most important, we should expect them to make it to the AFC Championship game. They made it to the divisional round last season, and their team has significantly improved. The expectation must be that they win two playoff games this year. This team has all of the parts to be able to go toe-to-toe with the giants of the AFC. Before the offseason, I was calling the Texans a dark-horse Super Bowl team. Now, you need to label them a genuine contender.
So, to summarize: the Texans need to win the division again, they need to have a top-five offense, the defense needs to be top 12, and they need to make it to the AFC Championship. It is worth noting that injuries happen in football, and a critical injury could derail all of these expectations. So take all of this with a grain of salt, and adjust expectations accordingly. The future of the league is certainly in good hands, and I really look forward to seeing what steps forward the Texans are able to take this year.
