Ranking the Texans huge offseason additions from best to even better

3. Pretty Good

Rolling the dice on CJ Henderson and Jeff Okudah

It may not work, but you see what the Texans are trying to do. Both Henderson and Okudah are former Top-10 picks from the 2020 who never quite worked out with their original teams – Okudah went third overall to the Lions, and Henderson ninth to the Jaguars. The Texans are probably both players' last shot of sticking around in the NFL, but both are also still just 25 and headed to a team with a ton of other defensive stars, coached by one of the brightest defensive minds in the game. If DeMeco Ryans can find a way to better unlock some of their potential, the Texans secondary looks almost as scary as their newly-built pass rush. And plus, they're both on cap-friendly one-year deals, so if it doesn't work out, Houston can move on painlessly.

Signing Azeez Al-Shaair

In hindsight, the move to bring Al-Shaair over from Tennessee was pretty obvious – he has tons of experience with Ryans from their days together with the 49ers, and the Texans needed run-stopping linebackers in the worst way (and still kinda do). The price they paid for him may be a little high for Texans' fans tastes, but he's only 26 and immediately slots in as the second-best run-stopping linebacker (by Pro Football Focus grades, at least) on the roster. Last year was the first time he's ever played in all 17 games, so staying healthy will be the major thing to watch for during his Houston tenure.