The Houston Texans’ season has been a brutal campaign to date.
Entering the bye week with an abysmal 1-8 record, the Houston Texans are regressing with each week that passes. What happened to the team that came in with an impressive showing in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and was tied with the Cleveland Browns at halftime the following Sunday?
It’s as if that first loss in Week 2 was the push the proverbial snowball needed to cause an avalanche of subpar play, pitiful point-scoring efforts, and lethargy from those who are left to do battle on Sundays.
Out of all the things that have gone wrong, which are the worst? How could one narrow it down to five things, as the Texans could run their own “Tournament of Bad” and give someone a golden toilet as an award for winning it all?
The answer is that there are no wrong choices in Houston when it comes to selecting these five. Anyone who has watched this team knows that statement is true. Why was Andre Roberts returning kicks for so long? Why not play Scottie Phillips?
These five things are what the Houston Texans have had go drastically wrong in the 2021 season. If it’s hard to do choose at the halfway point, what will happen at the end of the season?
Let’s get right into number five.
Tim Kelly hasn’t been consistent in helping the Houston Texans offense
Offensive Coordinator Tim Kelly has had an up-and-down year that’s seen Houston score points at will, and also at the same time not accomplish anything until the backups are in. Yes, there are issues with depth and the players that he has to work with- which is not Kelly’s fault.
The blame is on the consistency of this offense. The Texans rebounded from being shut out against Buffalo to owning a 22-9 lead on the New England Patriots which should’ve been the “student becomes master” moment for Nick Caserio and all the ex-New England staff that coaches in Houston.
Instead of a blowout, the offense blew a gasket and never recovered. Never scoring again, and not sustaining drives long enough to let Mac Jones and the Patriots come back to win on a last-second field goal.
It seems like the magic number is 22, as they’ve hit that number twice and they just stop scoring. Given the roster and lack of depth Houston has, it’s almost as if the offense needs to score 30+ every game just to be competitive.
Is it the fact that Davis Mills is looking like a true third-round rookie quarterback and trying to run an offense for the first time ever? Yes. Is it Kelly’s fault that Mills was held back in the Carolina game? Yes.
But is it Kelly’s fault that Mills is struggling to the point that he’s not that much better than Tyrod (minus the aberration that happened against the Dolphins)? It will be interesting to see who wins the starting job for the rest of the year and if that chosen person can put up points.
The Houston Texans using five running backs on the roster was a bad idea
When offenses are usually composed in the NFL nowadays, the first thing that comes to mind is the passing game. Having a good wide receiving corps to help keep pace in a league that’s getting more and more fast-paced every year.
So what did the Texans get the bright idea to do? Come into the season with five running backs on the 53-man roster. That would be phenomenal if these running backs were Derrick Henry’s or any other top-tier back. But the likes of David Johnson, Rex Burkhead, and Philip Lindsay are a group of guys who are not going to get it done.
The other two were Mark Ingram (now traded) and Scottie Phillips, who flashed in the preseason. Ingram was the workhorse and his contributions led him on a ticket to escape the doom-zone of Houston and return to New Orleans.
The “run to set up the pass” mentality only works if the offensive line can stay healthy. That has not been the case at all, with the offensive line being as solid as turnstiles at a subway station. As a result, the Texans’ offense has been left behind in the dust, primarily playing catchup against high-octane opponents.
Trading Randall Cobb, but NOT trading Brandin Cooks
When Randall Cobb was traded back to Green Bay after Aaron Rodgers’ bizarre offseason (frankly his entire year) request, it wasn’t seen as anything that would be significant. Cobb had slowed down and the Texans were getting draft capital- it was a decent trade at the time.
That was until the trade deadline came around this season and passed with little fanfare in Houston (as to what it was allegedly supposed to be). How could the Texans trade a seemingly washed-up Cobb, but not a late-prime Brandin Cooks? Cooks had been amongst the league leaders in receiving yards early in the season.
Cooks had way more value on the trade market, yet he’s kept here on contract for a few more years. After seeing how disgruntled he was with the Mark Ingram trade, we’ll see how long that stay is going to last.
The Texans failed to embrace the true rebuild and opted instead of the gray area of being bad, but not bad enough to get the first overall pick. That remains to be seen, as Detroit has played nearly every game close and has nearly upset a few teams.
It’s that bad that event the Detroit matchup isn’t a given anymore.
The Houston Texans failed by not getting rid of Deshaun Watson
This isn’t just because of the declined trades, but also of the refusal to cut or release Watson once the team learned of the accusations he is facing. Nick Caserio was calling for a king’s ransom for Watson when trade offers came around, but no matter what came across the line it wasn’t good enough.
That’s understandable to a point, but his anger towards the organization and then the whole legal situation on top of that as well just makes for a nightmare scenario. There is a lot of negative energy around this franchise and releasing him could provide a similar boost to what happened to the Browns when Odell Beckham Jr. was released.
Not taking even one offer just goes to show how Caserio thinks he has the upper hand in these negotiations when he truly never did. 2 to 3 first-round picks don’t come in trade deals often, and Caserio reportedly turned down a handful of them. What a shame.
ALSO READ: How cutting Deshaun Watson would affect the Texans’ cap space
The link above shows what would go on money-wise with that move. Even if Watson is found innocent, or is allowed to play after being released, the Texans won’t have to take that heat anymore.
The Houston Texans should cut distractions to focus on winning. If someone doesn’t want to be there, show them the door. It’s the best for both parties.
Nick Caserio, Cal McNair, and Jack Easterby are still around.
Would half of the problems (sans the Watson allegations) that faced the Houston Texans on the field be present if Nick Caserio was never hired? Cal McNair did not listen to Watson on his desire to be a part of the search for a GM and a head coach, oblivious to his franchise signal-caller.
Caserio being hired was the match that started the firestorm of Watson not wanting to play here and led to the most anti-climactic trade deadlines in recent history. Every staff member that’s a former New England Patriot is exactly what’s wrong with this franchise.
McNair is off spouting racist comments at golf outings, Caserio is struggling big time to put together a competitive roster, and Jack Easterby is out here giving franchise advice in a parasitic state (like suggesting the DeAndre Hopkins trade). As John Fox once said, “It’s all a problem“.
Texans fans have made it very clear that they want the team to be sold, and a clean slate is given to one of the most crestfallen franchises in the league. Whoever leaves first will undoubtedly be celebrated, and the end of the tunnel getting closer with each one of these three no longer with the Texans franchise.