The Houston Texans have heard it all offseason long about how much work needs to be done, or what they need to improve on. The position rankings by Pro Football Focus pull no punches either, which is OK because the Texans news is they, in fact, have much work to do.
The Texans wrapped up voluntary OTAs this week, and head coach David Culley was so impressed with how the Texans worked and how many players showed up that he canceled the Houston Texas mandatory OTAs, and the next full team function will be when training camp arrives.
All of that is fine as Culley is the decision maker now, but going by how the roster is built, maybe a little more work wouldn’t hurt. Who really knows what the answer is?
One answer that PFF had in their secondary rankings for this offseason is this … the Texans rank in the bottom third of the league in that position unit. Ben Lindsey of PFF ranks the Texans secondary 24th overall out of 32 teams, with the Houston Texans just above of the Philadelphia Eagles, and just below the Carolina Panthers, who are 23rd overall.
Thinking about this ranking, it is tough to be too angry or upset with how this unit is ranked. There were some issues last season where the defense as a whole couldn’t stop the opponent, and even though there were some positives, the belief here is the negatives outweighed those positive moments.
Houston Texans: Justin Reid is due for improved season in 2021
Though Justin Reid didn’t have his best year at safety in ’20, and improvement will be needed, the rankings were right in showing that overall in his first three seasons, Reid is a very good football player.
In the PFF rankings article, it states the following written by Lindsey about another cornerback on the roster, Vernon Hargreaves III, saying the “second cornerback spot will be an issue:”
"“Vernon Hargreaves III, who started there last season, has earned PFF grades below 50.0 in each of the past two seasons.”"
Hargreaves last season had a 41.2 overall grade, as he collected 66 solo tackles and one interception. The cornerback also allowed 68 receptions on 93 targets.
Those are not the best grades by any means, and the secondary was an issue for Houston in ’20, so there should be no arguments as to where this unit is currently ranked until they can prove otherwise during the ’21 season.
The secondary will also not have Bradley Roby in Week 1 as he’ll be wrapping up his PED suspension, so at the start of the season there will be a lot to watch with the cornerbacks and safeties of the Houston Texans, making for some nerve-wracking moments early on in ’21.