Shannon Sharpe is as famous for his play on the field as he is for his hot takes off of it. The NFL Hall of Famer, and sports media personality has made a living off of wild takes. His constant support of LeBron James as the greatest basketball player of all time is just one of the many famed sides he's taken in his post-playing career. He's not someone who backs down from what he believes in, even if he's wrong.
Still, he's a pretty intelligent guy and he firmly believes that the Houston Texans aren't a top-four team in the AFC, despite getting Stefon Diggs. Speaking on ESPN's First Take earlier this week, Sharpe listed his top teams in the AFC as the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and the Miami Dolphins for sure, with maybe the Buffalo Bills edging out the Houston Texans as a Top Four team in the conference.
While he may upset some fans, he also may not be wrong. Each of those teams, even the Bills, has a history of steady success year in and year out. Now, we're all on board with C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans being a threat next season to compete, that's not in doubt. Yet, we have to be honest and admit that teams rise and fall every season. Right now, the Texans are coming off of a miracle season. That alone would leave some wondering if they could repeat the same level of success with the league no longer taking them as lightly.
Then you have to factor in the revamp the Texans gave their roster. Not only are they now going to face a tougher schedule with more tape on them this year than last, they also have to incorporate a lot of new players into the system. That's a lot to ask of a team.
It's understandable if someone is unsure about the Texans being able to maintain the same level of success from season to season, after all, the circumstances for success have changed. We're optimistic that the Texans can be even better but one-year wonders happen far too often to not think the Texans could stumble into the same pitfall.
So patience is going to be a virtue. Let's see how things shake out to start the season before we start getting mad about a fair take.