The Houston Texans' top-flight defense was on dominant display yet again against the developing offense of offensive coordinator Nick Caley on the fourth day of training camp. Most notably, All-Pro defensive end Danielle Hunter was a menace in the trenches against quarterback C.J. Stroud and his new-look offensive line.
But that's not all. Everyone from safety Calen Bullock and cornerback Kamari Lassiter, to rookie safety/nickel Kamari Ramsey and defensive tackle Tommy Togiai all had their respective turns with making the day arduous for the offense. While having an elite defense who can wreck any practice they want to is definitely something to celebrate, the reality is that fans and local media are looking for any shred of positivity that they can about an offense that is expected to "not be the problem" anymore in 2026.
The Houston Texans need more from their offense if they want to win a Super Bowl in 2026
Last season , the Texans' offense featured a first-year play caller in Nick Caley, a makeshift offensive line (again), the absence of a high-quality rusher in Joe Mixon, a missing dynamo in wide receiver Tank Dell and several other factors that limited their effectiveness from the very beginning of last season. It was a major reason why the team had their sluggish 0-3 start, it's the main reason why their 12-5 record wasn't improved by at least two games and it's the main reason why Houston fell at the hands of the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs last season.
Even though we're just talking about the early goings of training camp, the fact is the expectation for the franchise this campaign is to hopefully hoist its first Lombardi Trophy in the history of the team. Just for a reference, when I was at training camp today, I observed:
- Stroud get "sacked" multiple times in team drills
- Backup quarterback Davis Mills throw a would-be pick-six to Ramsey
- Togiai disrupting the short passing game near the line of scrimmage
- Hunter feasting on the offensive line on multiple plays, which blew up entire series'
And that's just to name the few that immediately came to mind. The offense did reportedly improve in the latter stages of practice today, but the damage had been done in terms of which unit set the tone for the entirety of the morning.
It's time for the offense to start punching back and making some plays if they truly want to shed the reputation as being the anchor of an otherwise Super Bowl-bound team in 2026.
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