After big 2023, Texans must follow C.J. Stroud’s lead: ‘I want to be the best’

Ben Arthur

AFC South Reporter

The Texans can look within their own division for a cautionary tale.

At this time last year, the Jaguars found themselves in a similar situation that the Texans are in now — looking toward the next season, to ascending into perennial contender status after a surprising run to an AFC South title and a playoff victory. With a promising young quarterback and respected coach leading the way to boot. But Jacksonville showed a nonchalance toward personnel upgrades in free agency and ahead of the trade deadline, focusing almost entirely on the draft and in-house development.

That backfired. It helped set the breeding ground for collapse, from contender for the No. 1 overall seed to missing the playoffs with a 1-5 finish.

The Texans must do everything in their power to make sure they don’t meet the same disappointing fate in 2024.

General manager Nick Caserio and coach DeMeco Ryans must be aggressive in building around C.J. Stroud.

Houston is at a pivotal point in its history, with the kind of opportunity that teams dream of. In Stroud, the Texans have an undisputed franchise quarterback just a year into his rookie contract. That comes with maximum financial flexibility to build a Super Bowl-caliber roster through at least 2026.

“I want to be the best,” Stroud said Monday. “I don’t want to be just the best rookie, the best second-year dude. I want to be the best — point blank, period.”

Houston is also seventh in the league with $57.8 million in 2024 salary cap space, according to Over the Cap. The franchise holds eight picks in the upcoming draft, too: a first (No. 23 overall, acquired from the Browns in the Deshaun Watson trade), second, third, two fourths and three sevenths.

The Texans have elite talent at valuable positions as well. In addition to Stroud, edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., left tackle Laremy Tunsil, right tackle Tytus Howard and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. are cornerstone players and under contract for the next few years.

Did C.J. Stroud have the best rookie QB season ever?

The Texans can look at the Chiefs and Bengals as examples of how to build their teams quickly around their franchise quarterbacks.

Kansas City went from perennial playoff contender to perennial championship contender with Patrick Mahomes, who sat behind Alex Smith in Year 1. Cincinnati went from NFL bottom dweller to championship contender with a healthy Joe Burrow.

While much attention goes to the offenses built around those quarterbacks, and for good reason, both franchises also invested heavily on defense.

After Mahomes’ first year as a starter in 2018, Kansas City prioritized defense in 2019 free agency (starting safety Tyrann Mathieu, linebacker Damien Wilson, defensive end Alex Okafor and cornerback Bashaud Breeland were signed in free agency; defensive end Frank Clark was acquired via trade from the Seahawks) and the 2020 draft (linebacker Willie Gay Jr., safety L’Jarius Sneed, defensive end Mike Danna). That strategy helped make three Super Bowl appearances from 2019-22 possible. And Kansas City has an opportunity to go back to the Super Bowl this year despite an inconsistent offense because of the best defense it has had in the Mahomes era.

The Bengals followed a similar blueprint — adding high-priced defenders in 2021, Burrow’s second season (edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton). Then the Bengals used their top three picks in the 2022 draft on defensive players (defensive backs Dax Hill and Cam Taylor-Britt, defensive end Zachary Carter). Cincinnati, of course, made back-to-back AFC championship games — including a Super Bowl appearance — from 2021-22.

At his end-of-season press conference, DeMeco Ryans indicated that building up the Texans’ defensive line is a massive priority. The 49ers ex-defensive coordinator and a Pro Bowl linebacker in his playing days, Ryans wants to build Houston upfront, then build backward.

His message offered a strong omen for the return of edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, whose rookie contract expires in the spring. He’ll command big money after a breakout season under Ryans, registering career-highs in sacks (12.5), tackles (52), tackles for loss (15) and quarterback hits (22).

Greenard and Anderson, who broke the Texans’ single-season rookie record for sacks (7), could form a potent edge-rushing tandem for years to come.

“The front is everything for me,” Ryans said Monday. “We’ll invest a ton of resources into the front. If you want to play good defense, your front has to be elite. That’s how I envision us playing — elite, defensive football. We have to get better there.”

But the back end needs plenty of work, too. Houston ranked 23rd in pass defense. It allowed 60 explosive pass receptions (20-plus yards) in the regular season, sixth-most in the league, according to Sportradar. Upgrades and depth are needed across the secondary. Veteran cornerback Steven Nelson, who had four interceptions this season, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent.

And on offense, the Texans need a No. 3 wide receiver to complement Tank Dell and Nico Collins, who is entering a contract year. Tight end Dalton Schultz, who often served as Stroud’s insurance blanket, should be a priority to re-sign. Devin Singletary stepped up as the lead back and could be re-signed at the right price (he’ll be a free agent too), but the running back room undoubtedly needs upgrades. The run game was far too inconsistent throughout the year, including the divisional-round loss to the Ravens, when Houston had a season-low 38 rushing yards.

The Texans should leave no stones unturned knowing they’re now building around a quarterback like Stroud, who opens their Super Bowl window.

“I’m excited to build with [Ryans],” Stroud said. “I think it’s going to be a great dynasty. Hopefully, we build.”

The Texans’ challenge is to turn that hope into certainty.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.