Now that the 2024 NFL has came and went, the Houston Texans' depth chart is a bit more clearer. Both where they need more help, and where they feel they're deep. They went with a 50/50 split in the draft, with four offensive and four defensive players. After the draft, they're deep at some positions, and thin still at others. Demeco Ryans did a good job in 2023 of hiding their holes. Now this year, while the roster is better compared to last season, there are still holes on this team that need to be hidden.
There's still some pretty impressive free agents that are looking for new homes, like Justin Simmons, Odell Beckham Jr, and Xavien Howard. While they're at positions the Texans don't need anymore, at roster holes the Texans DO need, there are quality veterans they could sign on both sides of the ball and have them contribute right off the bat.
Going into the draft, they needed a cornerback (Kamari Lassiter), Safety (Calen Bullock), and an offensive tackle (Blake Fisher), and they filled those positions fairly well. Not much more they could've done to solidify those position groups. However, at Line Backer and Defensive Tackle, one could argue they could've done better. Drafting Jamal Hill at Line Backer, who you can play at multiple different positions, was a good addition. But they could've drafted somebody to help them right now. And at Defensive Tackle, drafting Marcus Harris, he's going to be battling with Tim Settle Jr and Mario Edwards Jr for a roster spot, not a starting job after Foley Fatukasi and Denico Autry are gone.
Spotrac projects the Texans at $23M in cap space right now, but some of that will be allocated toward signing their draft picks. After they secure all eight draft picks to their rookie deals, they'll still have enough money to lock in a couple of free agents that can help this team right now. But who's still available?