The Houston Texans are a solid team, but they aren't a perfect team. Like any team in the NFL, they have their weak spots. After all, the salary cap restricts just how much money can be invested at a time in a team. That means that a team has to decide which guys get new deals and which guys can be replaced. Usually replacing a player requires a flyer of a contract on a veteran with upside but no real proof to his name, or drafting a rookie.
Sometimes a guy is exactly who you think he is, and gets a nice new deal, only to be lied to through his play. The Texans have a few of those guys on the team this year. These three individuals specifically are potential names who could be replaced in their lineup.
Two of whom are starters, one of which is likely to be a key reservist. All three stand to be replaced if their poor play continues, however.
Henry To'oto'o
Having been drafted in 2023, Henry To'oto'o wasn't seen as a guy who needed to be an impact player right away, though started in six games and played in 14. You'd think his 61 total tackles would be an impressive total for someone who played irregular amounts of snaps from week to week. Yet he was picked on quite a bit in the passing game. He finished 2023 with a PFF score of just 42.7. With Jake Hansen filling in for Christian Harris, if Hansen plays well enough, Harris may be returning to take To'oto'o's spot in the lineup.
Tytus Howard
Many people seem to think that Tytus Howard's contract extension was a bad idea, seeing as how he's been so inconsistent in his career. We're among those fans who believe that. He had a bad 2023, making that new deal look worse and worse. He was playing a different position, was consistently hurt, and didn't have the best teammates around him, but Howard's struggles are his own. Considering his extension was a bad idea to begin with, and his up-and-down performances haven't endeared him to many fans, it would be wise for him to turn things around. He's got to play better or he'll likely be on the bench, if not traded, by the mid-season.
Jeff Okudah
It's not that we have a vendetta against Jeff Okudah, it's just that there's not a lot of reason to believe in him. He's shown absolutely nothing of merit at the NFL level, and if he was a second-round pick, he'd be out of the league already. He'll likely be playing in nickel or dime packages for the Texans' defense but if he struggles there, he won't hold onto that role for very long.