Houston Texans’ Defense Is Stellar, Offense Needs Work

There’s no question that the Houston Texans have one of the greatest, and most star studded defenses in the NFL. Defensive end J.J. Watt, linebacker Brian Cushing, and safety D.J. Swearinger lead the way of an explosive and intimidating defense. Linebacker Jadeveon Clowney is soon to come back, and hopefully be a defensive force as well.

The Texans also signed former New England Patriot nose tackle Vince Wilfork, who will help out a lot.

Jared Dubin of CBS Sports had lots of praise for the Houston Texans.

"“A defensive front of Watt, Wilfork and Jared Crick, with Brian Cushing behind them and last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Jadeveon Clowney, flying around the outside, is no laughing matter. Houston’s defensive coordinator, Romeo Crennel, is familiar with Wilfork from his day’s as a Belichick assistant, and should put everyone in a position to succeed. Even while missing Clowney for the majority of last season, Houston was able to piece together the NFL’s sixth-best defense, mostly on the strength of Watt’s incredible play. Adding another force up front should only make them more difficult to deal with.”"

We all know that the defense is great. It’s nothing new, and though it’s exciting for next year, it can be overshadowed by the opposite side of the ball. That brings us to the offense, and what exactly must be filled with the rest of this offseason, especially in the draft.

Starting off at running back, the depth is already lacking. Arian Foster can not carry every single ball, and Alfred Blue has yet to prove himself. Getting Blue more carries could be beneficial, so he has a chance to show what he can do, but that doesn’t mean there’s not questions regarding the run game.

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There have been talks of bringing in Georgia running back Todd Gurley in the draft. Gurley could give the Texans a huge offensive push. Not much is left in the free agent market as far as running backs go, so the draft may be their last resort if they truly are looking to beef up their depth there.

Even more urgent, I believe they should be looking for wide receivers. They did bring in Cecil Shorts, but after losing Andre Johnson, their net gain on receivers is in the negatives, still.

Receiver DeAndre Hopkins is certainly on the come up, with over 1200 yards in just his second season last year. Otherwise, Keshawn Martin and tight end Garrett Graham don’t show much receiving promise for the team, which certainly raises a red flag. Hopkins is good, and can get better, but he can’t carry a team’s receiving alongside just Shorts.

There’s plenty of wide receiver options for the Texans in the draft. Kevin White from West Virginia is an option, but he’s been projected to go early in the first round. If they want him, they’d have to make him their first pick.

DeVante Parker from Louisville may be the more realistic option in the draft. One of the downsides with Parker has been his injuries, but he shows that he could overcome that. Parker could be just what the Texans need to get some explosive big play yardage.

Lastly, the biggest question comes at quarterback. This isn’t a matter of bringing someone in, though, unless the Texans are looking at grabbing Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota or Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty.

However, with re-signing Ryan Mallett, moving Ryan Fitzpatrick and bringing in former Browns’ quarterback Brian Hoyer, I don’t think that’s going to be the case, at all. It looks like one of those two will be the starter next season. The real question is, who?

Hoyer has shown he can consistently be a backup in the NFL. As the main starter last year, he didn’t put up great numbers in Cleveland. He threw for over 3,000 yards, averaging just above 7 yards per completion. His completion percentage was sub-par, at 55%. His 13 interceptions are unsettling, as well. Hoyer doesn’t really seem to be the type of player who can be the face of an offensive system that can go deep in the playoffs.

Mallett has only played in seven total NFL games, so we aren’t completely sure what to expect from him yet. This could be good for him, though. Head coach Bill O’Brien has said he expects to have a quarterback competition to see who will get the starting role. Bringing in Hoyer really gives Mallett something to challenge himself with making this a fantastic time for Mallett to break out of his shell and prove himself in the NFL.

One thing is for sure, a great defense is a great start in the NFL, and it’s something for the Texans to build 2015 on. There’s some holes on offense, but the draft is a great place to look to in order to fill these holes.

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