In the most pivotal offseason in franchise history, the Texans have been judicious in their moves and have generated a buzz throughout the fan base not felt or heard of since the 2017 draft.
Before making jaws drop around the league on draft night, when they traded up nine spots to nab former Alabama star Will Anderson Jr. with the No. 3 overall pick, moments after selecting their franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Texans had already begun to lay the foundation for the next phase of their rebuild.
Among the nearly 20 free agent acquisitions the Texans have made this offseason, they’ve added valuable veteran pieces throughout the roster including safety Jimmie Ward, linebacker Denzel Perryman, defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, receiver Robert Woods along with tight end Dalton Schultz and helped solidify the offensive line with two-time Super Bowl champion right guard Shaq Mason.
That’s a pretty solid group of veteran pieces scattered throughout various position groups to create a culture that the Texans hope fosters a sustainable winner.
Mason, who the Texans traded a sixth-round pick for earlier this offseason, likes what he’s seen from his new team's roster construction.
“The sky is the limit,” Mason said. “I can’t put a cap on it but I know with the guys we’ve got in our locker room and what we’re trying to build, it’s going to be a very successful team. I’ve been part of successful teams in the past, and I know we’ve got a recipe.”
Mason, 29, has been involved in a certain type of culture his entire eight-year career so far.
Tom Brady has been the quarterback on every team he’s played on, with exception to the 2021 season when Mac Jones started all 17 games.
Having witnessed the challenges and adjustments a rookie quarterback has to make at the NFL level, Mason said there’s only one thing he can really do to help the Texans rookie signal caller.
“Protect him. That’s the biggest thing I can do, protect him,” Mason said. “Rookie quarterbacks, there’s always a learning curve. I think he’ll be fine. Us five up front, we’re going to do our job and try to make his job as easy as possible.”
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Meanwhile, one of the necessary ingredients for new Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans involved bringing veteran safety Jimmie Ward with him wherever he wound up this offseason.
Ward, 31, said while he had multiple offers from teams around the league to play safety, he felt his best fit was going to be in Houston where he already had a relationship and familiarity with Ryans and the Texans' new defensive passing game coordinator Cory Undlin, who also coached with them in San Francisco.
“I feel like I had a better relationship with Meco and had a better relationship with Cory,” Ward said. "We chatted about it a little bit. We didn’t do too much talking about it when we were in San Francisco. But he told me, I’d like you to play for me.”
Ward acknowledged that one of the key points of emphasis he’s charged with in playing with a young secondary is being an extra coach on the field.
“Obviously, I know this defense,” Ward said. “I’m not perfect. Sometimes, I’m pretty sure I make mistakes. Just try to bring the younger guys along because I’ve been through a lot going on my 10th year in this league. Really just try to explain to them my experience and tell them in this defense that you’ve got to work as a string."
Ward has taken notice already of one of his new teammates, fellow safety Jalen Pitre.
“One thing that I’ve seen is he has great ball skills,” Ward said. “He can really move. He has some great feet.”
Pitre’s ability to play multiple positions in the defense drew the attention of Ward because of the veteran’s flexibility to do similar things as well.
“I’m excited because it can be interchangeable where I don’t always have to cover, he doesn’t always have to blitz or he don’t always have to be in the post,” Ward said. “We can switch it up and that’s great for a defense because we can disguise better.”
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As the offseason continues for the Texans with OTA’s just around the corner and training camp still more than two-months away, the Texans still have plenty of work ahead of them. But the foundation general manager Nick Caserio is setting in place hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“When you have a GM that has that mentality, you can see from the type of moves he’s making, that excites the team,” Mason said. “That’s why there is a little extra juice around here, knowing we’ve got the ability to do some special things.”
Shaun Bijani has spent the last 16 years covering the Houston sports scene for SportsRadio 610. Follow him on Twitter @ShaunBijani.
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