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Ben Arthur
AFC South Reporter
No other NFL team has received more hype than the Texans this offseason, and it’s easy to understand why.
Led by first-year coach DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud, who had arguably the best rookie quarterback season in league history, Houston won 10 regular-season games in 2023 en route to its first division title in four years. The team was one win away from the AFC Championship Game. And if the Texans’ promising young core wasn’t enough, they’ve added a slew of big-name additions entering 2024: wide receiver Stefon Diggs, running back Joe Mixon, edge rusher Danielle Hunter, defensive lineman Denico Autry and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. Houston committed more than $145 million in contract value to those five players.
So even if team legend J.J. Watt doesn’t get a call from Ryans to return for one more season, there are plenty of reasons for optimism if you’re the Texans.
The question is: Have they beentoohyped?
It’s certainly not uncommon to see teams crowned as Super Bowl contenders after flashy offseason moves, only to flop when it comes to actually playing football.
We’ve also seen teams pushed into contention based on a previous season’s results, only to succumb to expectations. The Texans can look within their own division for a cautionary tale. The Jaguars, who made the divisional round in the 2022 season, had their biggest collapse in franchise history in 2023, missing the playoffs with a 9-8 record after beginning the year 8-3.
All those factors are why it’s not surprising to hear how Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio have discussed outside chatter about the team the past couple of months.
“We don’t care about expectations,” Ryans said last month. “Talk doesn’t win games.”
On paper, the Texans could have the NFL’s most productive wide receiver room. Their wide receivers last season had 3,272 receiving yards, fourth in the league — and that was with rookie…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/texans-are-nfls-most-hyped-team-this-offseason-are-they-ready-to-deliver
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Publish date : 2024-05-07 22:38:49
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