Houston Texans not backing down from lofty expectations

The Houston Texans grabbed the modern NFL playbook for success and followed it to a “T” last year.

In the 2023 NFL Draft Houston added two tremendous talents at the top of the first round, adding quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second overall selection, and trading with the Arizona Cardinals to acquire their pick at No. 3. In that spot Houston drafted Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson Jr.

The moves paid immediate dividends. The Texans shocked the NFL landscape by winning the AFC South, and then knocking off the Cleveland Browns on Wild Card Weekend. While Houston’s surprising playoff push ended the following week with a loss to Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, it was quite the first season for Stroud, Anderson, and rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans.

That success — starting with adding the franchise quarterback on a rookie deal — put Houston in a position to be buyers in the offseason. And they did just that, adding a ton of talent around Stroud to load up for another run in 2024. Among the many moves they made, Houston brought in pass rushers like Danielle Hunter and Demico Autry, added cornerback Jeff Okudah, and traded for offensive stalwarts Joe Mixon and Stefon Diggs.

Now as the Texans open training camp, expectations are high.

And the team is absolutely not backing down from those expectations.

“Nobody on the outside is going to have a bigger expectation than on the inside of the building,” said Anderson. “Right now, our expectation is just building that building, building a tall building.”

“It’s gonna be harder,” said Stroud. “We have a target on our back this year, and that’s how you should want it.”

Stroud stands to benefit from many of the moves Houston made this offseason, in particular the additions of Mixon and Diggs. Speaking at training camp the second-year passer outlined how Houston now has a “five-headed monster” on that side of the football.

“Stefon is somebody that can open up the playbook, but we have all these guys around,” said the quarterback. “It’s a five-headed monster. It’s definitely super dope to have just a bunch of options.”

Houston’s newest running back outlined something similar.

“With the weapons that we have, man it is a hell of a thing,” Mixon said. “I think as long as we execute, do all the right things well, and build that chemistry I think that it’s going to go a long way. In the offense, the sky’s the limit.”

Thanks to their division title from last season, the Texans’ path back to the playoffs got a little bit harder. Due to the NFL schedule format Houston now gets to take on a “first place schedule,” one that will see the Texans square off against other first-place teams from 2023 such as the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Baltimore Ravens. The AFC South also gets the NFC North this year, meaning Houston will see potential playoff teams such as the Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers, and the Chicago Bears on their schedule.

As well as their division rivals.

Still, this is not a team that seems like they are backing down anytime soon.

“That’s how it should be,” said Stroud. “The person that always doubts himself probably will never make it to that point, so you gotta have confidence and have a goal and a plan and execute that plan.”