With the Texans’ 2021 NFL schedule out, FanSided’s Matt Verderame doesn’t just predict a bad season in Houston but also the No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick next year.
If FanSided NFL insider Matt Verderame is correct, the Houston Texans are about to experience a bad, bad season in 2021.
The 2021 NFL schedule is now out. And while we’ve known for a while which teams Houston will play this year, the actual calendar of events doesn’t exactly spell a promising immediate future for Texans fans in the wake of so much controversy and speculation this offseason.
Verderame just released his all-encompassing week-by-week game predictions for all 32 teams, including who makes it into the postseason and winds up winning Super Bowl LVI.
Needless to say, Houston isn’t exactly gunning for the postseason this year and is instead entering an all-out rebuild under newly minted general manager Nick Caserio and first-year head coach David Culley.
And as far as how Verderame sees the Texans’ 2021 season going, well, it’s not pretty.
An abysmal 3-14 finish.
It’s not completely out of line to think this, particularly if quarterback Deshaun Watson winds up not playing this season. Watson, still amid legal trouble for off-field allegations, is also pushing for a trade. Pro Football Talk’s Chris Simms said “there’s no way” Watson winds up playing for the Texans this upcoming season, and obviously that’s not good. Even with Watson playing at an MVP-like level in 2020, Houston still finished 4-12 last year. And the 2021 roster doesn’t exactly look to be a significant improvement.
But what stands out the most about Verderame’s prediction is the fact the Texans finish with the worst record in football this year, a game below FanSided’s 4-13 prediction for the also-rebuilding Detroit Lions.
Texans predicted to wind up with the No. 1 overall pick in 2022 NFL Draft
It’s reasonable to assume Watson never suits up for Houston again, meaning Caserio and Culley will be on the hunt for a new franchise signal-caller as soon as this upcoming offseason.
Unless they’re completely in on Stanford’s Davis Mills, selected in Round 3 of this year’s NFL Draft, while veteran QB Tyrod Taylor bridges the gap.
Assuming that’s not the case, though, it’s likely Caserio and Culley are eying a rookie quarterback like North Carolina’s Sam Howell or Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler. Both have been projected as top-10 selections in the 2022 draft, and a strong upcoming campaign in 2021 from either could prompt a top selection.
If Houston somehow winds up softening the relationship with Watson, though, perhaps we could see a defensive investment like Oregon EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, who is widely viewed as the best non-quarterback prospect in the upcoming year’s class. Rebuilding in the trenches is never a bad move even if it’s far less flashy of a pick compared to a quarterback.
Either way, there are going to be plenty of question marks and speculation depending on what happens with Houston’s upcoming season.
But by the looks of it, Texans fans can likely start wondering about the 2022 offseason even before 2021 kicks off.