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Houston Texans: 5 Biggest needs to fill this offseason

By Martin Marroquin

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 25: Head coach Bill OBrien of the Houston Texans speaks to the media at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) *** Local Capture *** Bill OBrien
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 25: Head coach Bill OBrien of the Houston Texans speaks to the media at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) *** Local Capture *** Bill OBrien /
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TAMPA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 22: Shaquil Barrett #58 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts after a sack against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 22: Shaquil Barrett #58 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts after a sack against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Edge Rusher

What was long the identity of the Houston Texans franchise, the front seven as a whole has become a weak point on the team. If not a weak point, it has at least regressed from what it once was.

Mainstays like J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus have continued to produce and are the foundation for the foreseeable future. The trade of Jadeveon Clowney left a glaring hole that needs to be addressed immediately.

Specifically on the edge, the Texans struggled to get pressure on the quarterback. With a cornerback position that is also thin at the moment, that is a bad pairing in a league that saw Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs take home a Lombardi Trophy.

Free agents like Shaquil Barrett — the NFL sack leader in 2019 — and Dante Fowler Jr. would certainly provide the Texans a much needed improvement. Barrett has mentioned that state taxes are something he considers in his next place to play. Thankfully like Florida, Texas does not have state taxes, so the Texans could use that in their favor.

The draft is another opportunity for the Texans to find a player to help provide pressure on the quarterback. While somebody like Chase Young is not going to be available so late in the draft, the Texans have had success finding defensive players like Charles Omenihu or D.J. Reader late in the draft. Curtis Weaver out of Boise State is a player the Texans could look to add depending on where they prioritize filling this position.

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