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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….
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/after-big-2023-texans-must-follow-c-j-strouds-lead-i-want-to-be-the-best
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Publish date : 2024-01-24 01:07:13
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