It was possibly the biggest weekend in the franchise’s history.
The Texans traded Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle, added depth to the running back and the wide receiver positions by acquiring Carlos Hyde and Kenny Stills and -- of course probably the biggest piece of all -- added left tackle Laremy Tunsil from the Miami Dolphins.
They gave up a lot of draft capital, two first round picks and a second round pick.
Now finally, it is time to focus on the New Orleans Saints and to be honest I feel pretty comfortable going into the Superdome with this roster.
I would like to have kept Clowney, but this team is better on the offensive side of the ball.
This offense has potential to be a top five unit, and the Texans -- who in the past have been known for their defense leading the team -- will rely heavy on the offense now. I think it’s safe to say this is Deshaun Watson’s team and in him we all trust.
And that’s great because he is so talented and with the schedule the Texans will need to score a lot of points, starting Monday night versus the Saints.
With that being said, here are six things to watch from the game:
The Saints ranked second in the NFL in run defense and fifth in sacks last season behind one of their strengths, the D-line. But defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is recovering from a torn Achilles, and starting defensive end Alex Okafor left to join the Chiefs in the offseason.
The Saints still have one of the league's best ends in Cameron Jordan. But they'll need big contributions from Marcus Davenport, their first round pick in 2018, Trey Hendrickson, their third round pick in 2017.
With the addition of Laremy Tunsil through trade and 2019 draft pick Tytus Howard, the Texans will have their work cut out for them.
But they should be much improved from the 2018 season.
Big test coming Monday night. If they pass, it’s a huge confidence boost for this offensive line and play caller Tim Kelly.
When you bring a guy like Gipson onto your team, it’s for moments like this.
Jared Cook is one of the better tight ends in this league and had a career high in yards (896), catches (68) and touchdowns (6) last year with the Oakland Raiders.
Now he is with the Drew Brees who spreads the ball around like no other and will definitely use him in the offensive scheme.
Behind Mike Thomas and Alvin Kamara he probably is the 3rd option in this high-powered offense.
Gipson prides himself on tight end coverage saying “The best tight ends that are coming into NRG [Stadium], I’m going to put the clamps on them.”
Well in this case, Jared Cook won't be coming to NRG but I believe this matchup will be critical in this game, with the physicality of Gipson and the skills of Cook this will be a great matchup to watch.
Two new running backs within a month, in a new system, how will they be used and how productive will they be?
Despite being on his third team since leaving the 49ers in 2017, Hyde has been a solid back.
Last year was a down year but he seems ready to get back to his 2016 and 2017 form, where he had over 900 rushing yards and averaged 4.25 yards a carry in those years.
I’m assuming eventually he’ll be the back that gets the tough yards between the tackles and he is solid in pass blocking. But how fast can he learn the system?
Duke Johnson was his teammate in Cleveland and now they reunite in Houston. He is learning the system as well, but he’s been here a little longer than Hyde so I’m sure he can help out.
Duke will be seen in backfield, inside in the slot and outside at receiver. Tim Kelly will be looking for mismatches with Duke to take advantage.
It should be fun to watch this group grow together during the season.
The Saints were No. 2 in the NFL last year in run defense well see how this new crew can do against them.
Drew Brees is a Hall of Fame QB, but he is not throwing the ball down field a ton.
Brees had an incredible 74 completion rate last year partly because Mike Thomas and Alvin Kamara are very good.
But he’s throwing a ton of short to medium passes. His attempts and yards in the passing game are the lowest it’s been since 2005, his last year in San Diego.
If the Texans can get pressure on Brees and take away the short passing game, I think you have a real shot in this game.
But let’s be honest, that’s a lot easier to say then to actually do.
Romeo Crennel, the new look Texans secondary and front-7 without Clowney has their work cut out for them.
It will likely be a shootout type of game, so getting a turnover or a stop in the right moment will be huge.
One of the biggest criticisms that Bill O’Brien receives is how he manages a football game.
Whether it’s not challenging a call like in the opener last year vs. the Patriots, going for it on fourth down, or in 2016 running the ball three straight times against Jacksonville when all you have to do is take a knee.
This is a new year with new challenges and did I say No GM? This is a big year for O’Brien and it starts Monday night, when the whole world is watching and how he controls the game will be evaluated.
The Saints 2018 season ended because of a missed pass interference call in the NFC Championship game.
There was such uproar from that game, the NFL has actually allowed the coaches to challenge if there was pass interference.
We need to watch this closely; Mike Thomas and DeAndre Hopkins are as physical as they come when you talk about wide receiver.
This could become really interesting, I guarantee the world will be watching this closely because this all stirred up from the superdome a season ago.
Let the debates begin!!