When it comes to the Houston Texans, Deshaun Watson and other aspects of the 2021 roster, the simple answer is there really aren’t any concrete answers just quite yet, especially when it comes to the Texans quarterback position.
Though it seems quite likely Watson won’t be wearing the No. 4 jersey of the Houston Texans ever again, nothing is official, no trade has been made, and he’s still on the roster of the Houston Texans.
There are other Texans quarterbacks on the roster ready to fill the possible vacated spot under center, with Tyrod Taylor being the veteran offseason signing as what can only be assumed as an insurance policy if and most likely when Deshaun Watson isn’t on the roster of the Houston Texans sometime this summer.
It is a shame that the talented Watson has not only asked to be traded, but his off-the-field issues haven’t helped matters either, leaving the Texans playing the waiting game for the status of Watson, which will likely end up with Houston gaining solid draft pick once – and if – a trade is able to be made.
That scenario still leaves an unknown for the Texans for as to who will be the next starting quarterback, and that change from Deshaun Watson to either the aforementioned Taylor, Jeff Driskel, or rookie Davis Mills affects the entire offense of the Houston Texans.
Losing the NFL passing leader isn’t easy for any team, but especially it would be very tough for the Texans because Watson is not only a playmaker with his arm, but his athletic ability to keep plays alive with his running ability was a big part of the Texans’ offense since he joined the team and took over at quarterback in 2016 as a first-round pick.
None of the Texans quarterback option are at the level that Deshaun Watson was at in ’20, but the feeling is the Texans will be moving on from their quarterback, and though we might know what the ’21 answer is for the position, the unknown for the Houston Texans past ’21 is what is the long-term answer for the franchise at the most important position of the team?
Besides quarterback, here are three more unknowns for the Houston Texans for this offseason as they continue to get closer to training camp late next month.
3. Can David Johnson bounce back from 2020 season?
The Houston Texans need a lot of production from David Johnson in ’21, and he needs to have a rebound season compared to his overall play from a season ago, his first in Houston. There is a lot of pressure on Johnson for as long as he wears a Houston Texans uniform for being a part of the trade that sent DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals in ’20.
Johnson having a lot of expectations on his plate each and every season he plays for the Texans is what it is, but he does need to have better production in ’21 for this offense to have some sort of success.
In ’20, Johnson joined the Texans after being benched in ’19 by the Cardinals, and when joining the Texans the numbers didn’t exactly show for the talent Johnson has or has shown in the past. In ’20, Johnson had 147 rushes for 691 yards and six touchdowns, and that’s not going to cut it for the Houston Texans offense, especially in ’21.
Sure, there needs to be improved play from the run blocking of the offensive line, but Johnson needs to improve too. His pass-catching ability is huge for this offense as well, but to set the tone, Johnson needs to be more consistent moving forward.
If he doesn’t, there is plenty of competition at running back now as this offseason the Houston Texans have added Mark Ingram, Phillip Lindsay, and even Rex Burkhead to the roster.
Don’t be surprised to see Lindsay make a real challenge for the starter’s role, as he is the wild card in the running back situation, because he’s also been a 1,000-yard rusher in his career just like David Johnson.
2. Justin Reid returning to past success
One player who many have put the spotlight on for improvement from last season is safety Justin Reid. The free safety didn’t have his best season in ’20, but this is a whole new season, and a new Houston Texans defense, too.
In ’18 as a rookie, Reid had three interceptions, and in his second season during ’19, Reid finished with two interceptions. Then came ’20 where Reid had zero interceptions for the Houston Texans, and that leads him to his contract year of ’21 on a rebuilding defensive unit.
Reid wasn’t the only player who didn’t have his best season in ’20 for the Texans, but his stands out a lot because of how important he has become to the Texans having success and winning games.
Reid didn’t have a fumble recovery in ’20, which is something he achieved in his first two NFL seasons, and he had just four passes defensed, compared to five in ’19 and 10 in his rookie season.
The overall grade from Pro Football Focus in ’20 for Justin Reid was 60.7, which was a drop from 76.7 in ’19, and 75.2 in ’18.
The prediction here for Justin Reid is he will have a better season with new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith and his Tampa 2 defense. There was a lot of issues with the Texans’ defense in ’20, and this is a excellent time for Reid to bounce back from his woes of ’20 with an improvement in his run defense and pass coverage.
Again, Reid is needed big-time for the Houston Texans defense to have success, and he has a great opportunity in his fourth NFL season to become the leader of the defense in Houston, while also earning a good contract in the process.
1. Who will emerge as the No. 2 WR option after Brandin Cooks?
Brandin Cooks has earned his spot as the top wide receiver option for the Houston Texans entering the ’21 season, taking over that role from Will Fuller who is no longer with the franchise. Cooks had an excellent ’21 season and was the main guy when Fuller was suspended the final six games due to his PED violation.
With Fuller gone, it is evident Cooks is the leader of the unit, and everyone knows what success he’s capable of achieving after a ’20 season where he totaled 81 receptions (115 targets) for 1,150 yards with six touchdowns. Cooks played in 16 games, averaging 14.2 yards per reception, while his PFF grade was 81.1 overall.
Other than Cooks the roster has Randall Cobb who will most likely play slot, and the prediction to who will be the player that steps up into the number two role at wide receiver is rookie Nico Collins. This rookie has a lot of potential, and can bring success to the offense with his size and speed playing alongside Cooks and Cobb.
Though it would be better for all the receivers to have Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback, whomever is throwing passes to Cooks and Collins, the unknown is how good can Collins be as a rookie under the Tim Kelly offense.
This will most likely be a long season for the Texans, but the fun part will be seeing which players step up in this rebuilding year.