(SportsRadio 610) - There is plenty of buzz surrounding the Texans' offseason.
They have a new head coach and staff. They have the fifth-most salary cap space of any NFL team. Finally, they have the No. 2 and No. 12 overall picks, as part of five selections within the first three rounds of the NFL Draft.
Until they piece all of this together, it would be foolish to write the Texans' turnaround in ink. There is still plenty of work left to be done.
ESPN.com's power rankings have the Texans last among 32 teams, as does The Ringer. NFL.com ranks the Texans 30th.
They are picking second in the draft for good reason. This was an awful football team last year, which was brings us to the following exercise.
When a team is this bad, needs abound. It would be too easy to suggest the Texans need "everything," so let's narrow it down to their top five.
No. 5: Quarterback
Davis Mills was given a decent opportunity to show he could be the Texans' quarterback of the future. The talent around him was not great and the coaching was arguably worse. But Mills' performance in his second season was not exactly encouraging.
Only the New York Jets' Zach Wilson threw a higher percentage of poor throws than Mills, according to Pro Football Reference. Mills tied with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott for the most interceptions (15).
This year's draft also dictates the Texans have the opportunity to select a rookie quarterback who could start from day one, whether it's Alabama's Bryce Young or Ohio State's C.J. Stroud.
No. 4: Running back
Houston finally upgraded this position last year with rookie Dameon Pierce, who looked like one the league's top rushers before suffering an ankle injury that ended his season early.
The problem is the Texans had no really strong options behind him. It was Pierce-or-bust when it came to the run game. Most offenses have two suitable running backs in addition to an ambitious passing game.
Houston appeared to have neither the past two years. Even with Pierce, this was the second least efficient run game in football last year by DVOA, which measures efficiency. Without adding talent to this position group, Pierce's body is not going to hold up very long and Houston is only going to get so much from the ground.
Expect this to be a much more physical football team going forward and that should be reflected by what they do at running back.
No. 3: Wide receiver
As good as Brandin Cooks has been the past three seasons, it says a lot about the Texans' offense that he's been their best wide receiver option throughout.
The case could be made that Houston's lacked a true No. 1 receiving threat since trading DeAndre Hopkins following the 2019 season.
Nico Collins should take a step in year three and the hope is John Metchie III debuts after battling leukemia his rookie year.
Cooks, however, has made clear he does not want to be part of a rebuild, in which the Texans are firmly planted. He is likely to be traded this offseason, which means the Texans would need to find a viable No. 1 option, something they should be looking into anyway.
No. 2: Defensive line
The Texans saw decent production out of 34-year-old defensive end Jerry Hughes, the Houston-area native who led the team with nine sacks last year. Maliek Collins has been their best defensive tackle the past two seasons.
But if the Texans are going to take the next step, they need more out of the defensive line. They have struggled especially against the run, giving up the most rushing yards and fifth-most yards per carry in 2022. Houston ranked 27th in rush DVOA.
The Texans gave up the second-most rushing yards in 2021, and like last year, the most in 2020. This is an urgent need for them to address this offseason.
Jonathan Greenard is a solid edge rusher going into his fourth season. Roy Lopez (2021 sixth-round pick) and Kurt Hinish (undrafted in 2022) have both been revelations, but they are rotation players, likely backups in an ideal world.
No. 1: Center
With all due respect to Scott Quessenberry and his efforts, Houston basically went the entire 2022 season without a starting center. Quessenberry had spent his first four NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he started a combined 10 games in that span (nine in 2019, one in 2021).
He was thrust into action after Week 1, when starter Justin Britt left the team for personal reasons. But truth be told, Britt had underperformed up until that point, and Quessenberry was a backup for a reason. Pro Football Focus graded Quessenberry as the 28th center in the NFL last season.
Interior offensive line play has been an issue in Houston for a few years now, but between Britt and Nick Martin before him, it always seemed like the Texans at least had a plan there.
The plan for 2023 is unclear as the Texans prioritize their free agent and draft targets. Assuming they draft a quarterback in the first round, it would be smart to provide him with a starting caliber center in his rookie season.
Brandon Scott is the editor for SportsRadio610.com. Follow him on Twitter @brandonkscott. Reach him directly via email: brandon.scott@audacy.com.
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