While significant changes have been made on the this side of the ball -- promoting Anthony Weaver to defensive coordinator, using the top two draft picks and three of the five on defensive players -- there is still a concern the defense did not improve enough going into 2020.
Nose tackle D.J. Reader was lost in free agency to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Texans cut ties with safety Tashaun Gipson, who was almost immediately picked up by the Chicago Bears.
The Texans will try to make up for the loss of Reader with a combination of Angelo Blackson, Brandon Dunn and rookie Ross Blacklock.
Gipson is expected to be replaced by Eric Murray, who played for the Cleveland Browns last season.
Texans head coach-general manager Bill O'Brien told reporters Friday during a Zoom conference that the roster is always subject to change, but he feels good about where the Texans are defensively.
“I think that right now we have a lot of versatility up front, at linebacker and in the secondary. We feel good about it," O'Brien said. "Relative to just the overall roster, we always look at the roster. We’re always trying to make decisions, or think about decisions that are in the best interest of the team. We always do that. We’ll continue to do that but as we sit here right now, at the very beginning of training camp, I feel good about where we are.”
Only four teams had fewer sacks per pass attempt than the Texans last season, so they'll need to improve their pass rush.
The hope for Houston is rookies Blacklock, edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and second-year defensive end Charles Omenihu's continued development will help bolster this aspect of the defense.
O'Brien has also expressed confidence in new addition safeties Murray, Jaylen Watkins and Michael Thomas.
The coach has stressed Murray and Watkins are not just safeties, but can also play some nickel cornerback. Thomas, a Houston-area native from Aldine Nimitz, is primarily a special teams player and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2018.