The Houston Texans can and will be a better team for the 2022 NFL season than they were in 2021.
Though there aren’t the superstar names all over the roster of the Houston Texans as the preseason opener is just a couple days away, there is no doubt the ’22 Texans team will surpass anything the ’21 version of the franchise accomplished.
Will the Texans have four or more wins in ’22? The answer is hopefully yes, but more than that if Houston plays better as a team in all phases of the game, whether that be on offense, defense and special teams, then the wins will take care of themselves.
It is noted that Houston being a playoff team is kind of a far-fetched dream at this point of the preseason, but that is why the games are played, and even without star power on their side, the Texans can at least be a more competitive team this year.
Houston with their new head coach Lovie Smith will have a lot of experience on his side, but a great move made by the franchise this offseason was promoting Pep Hamilton to offensive coordinator and keeping Davis Mills as the starting quarterback.
There is also the defense, which by the end of the ’22 season will be much better than they are now as rookies Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre get more accustomed to the NFL as the season moves along.
With that said, next are three reasons why the Houston Texans can be successful in ’22.
3. Texans: A revamped rushing attack that will make a much-needed difference
There is so much to like about the running game of the Houston Texans this season compared to last season, and the new running back duo of Marlon Mack and rookie Dameon Pierce are two players who will make the rushing attack respectable again.
At this point last season, the running back roster included David Johnson and Mark Ingram, and that didn’t work out so well, but now with the group having another veteran looking to get back to the player he once was (Mack) and a rookie looking to be a dominant force (Pierce) from his very first carry, it is OK to be excited about the running game of the Texans at the start of the ’22 season.
Pierce is a very interesting rookie for this team, as he could be the guy the Texans look to in goal line situations, but he’s also very athletic and will be a complete difference maker for the offense.
As Terrell Owens used to say, “Get your popcorn ready!”
2. Texans: Are you ready for some rookies on defense to be playmakers?
There are three Houston Texans rookies for the defense. Once they not only get healthy and ready to play in the NFL, but also get accustomed to playing the highest level of pro football, well, maybe Houston will eventually get their respect back on defense.
Houston’s defense wasn’t that great at all, and it sure didn’t live up to the past defenses coached by Lovie Smith when he was at his other NFL stops, but the Texans brought in three rookies on defense who can be very good at the professional level.
Houston drafted Derek Stingley Jr. to play cornerback, Jalen Pitre to play safety, and Christian Harris to be a linebacker for the franchise, and if these three live up to what many believe they can become in the NFL, opponents of Houston are in for some very long days and seasons ahead.
Stingley and Pitre will make the Houston secondary better. Actually, they already made it better by being drafted by the franchise, and they both were projected to be high-potential players, and for success to happen with the defense — even as rookies — expectations are high for these two players.
As for Harris at linebacker, he’s projected to be a starter in the league too, and he’ll be needed for sure on the defense. Harris was a third round pick, so that means rookies Stingley, Pitre and Harris were first-, second- and third-round picks. That’s saying something in the rebuild of the defense, so don’t be surprised to see these three on the field as much as possible if they are able in ’22.
1. Texans: Davis Mills MUST show he’s the franchise quarter and improvement
This is an easy one because for any NFL team to be successful in any season, the play of the quarterback will be of great importance. Not many teams have success without solid play from their starting quarterback, and the Texans will be no different as all eyes are on Davis Mills in his second season.
There is good reason to believe in Mills becoming the next franchise quarterback in Houston, and that is he’s was thrown into the fire as a rookie and had impressive outings, and the stats to back it up, in the final games of the ’21 season.
This preseason thus far (two games), the second-year player was 10-of-17 for 96 yards and one touchdown in limited play vs. the Los Angeles Rams. In the first week of the preseason, Mills was 3-for-3 for 14 yards.
Last season as a starter, Mills had the tale of two seasons as his first six starts were tough to watch, and he wasn’t ready at all to be the starter, but was forced into the game due to an injury to Tyrod Taylor.
In the final five games of ’21, Mills threw nine touchdown passes and was a completely different quarterback.
There is also great pressure on Mills this season because if he has success, things should go well for him, but if the Texans’ offense struggles and he doesn’t produce, that means Houston will struggle for wins, and the ’23 rookie quarterback class is a strong group before the start of the collegiate season.
The easy way to put things concerning Mills is this … the Texans quarterback has the talent to make the offense respectable and better, and if he can do that, the team will have success. That’s a lot of pressure, no doubt, but the NFL is about winning, and it has been quite some time since Houston has done that with consistency.