Texans make key roster decision to give C.J. Stroud the right targets in 2024

Going into roster cut day, one of the major questions was what the Houston Texans would do at the wide receiver position.

All offseason, it's been a main topic of conversation. The Texans have had a plethora of talent in that room, but not enough space to keep everyone. Many wondered whether or not a trade or two would make sense. After all, Houston would have to part ways with some receivers who certainly deserve a spot on an NFL roster, just maybe not on the Texans.

Who do they part with? Who gets traded? Who gets cut? Do the Texans even pull off a trade?

What would they end up doing?

After making the bulk of their roster cuts on Tuesday, the Texans were left with a wide receiver room that looked like this:

Stefon Diggs
Nico Collins
Tank Dell
Robert Woods
John Metchie III
Xavier Hutchinson
Steven Sims

And, with the initial 53-man roster set, we can start to see what the Texans were thinking when it came to wide receiver.

Two of the key cuts happened when the team opted to release veterans Noah Brown and Ben Skowronek. Both Brown and Skowronek were investments made by the Texans just this past offseason.

Brown was re-signed by the Texans on a 1-year deal worth $4 million. Meanwhile, Skowronek was acquired via trade when Houston dealt a sixth-round pick to the Rams for his services and a seventh rounder.

In cutting ties with Brown and Skowronek, the Texans made it very clear what they wanted to do, and that was to set up quarterback C.J. Stroud for long-term success.

The Texans made the right call keeping younger wide receivers for C.J. Stroud

Think about it this way.

The Texans already have a pair of aging veterans in Diggs and Woods. Their experience and leadership is enough to lead that room. Keeping Brown (28) and Skowronek (27) didn't make sense, especially when Stroud is going to be around for the long haul.

Metchie and Hutchinson, meanwhile, have proven to have a whole lot more potential as they are both just 24 years old. The two of them showed out during the preseason and gave plenty of reason why they should not only make the roster, but could even get some regular season run in specific game situations.

Houston has invested heavily into their quarterback by also investing in youth. Between Collins (25), Dell (24), Metchie and Hutchinson, this team has a multitude of youth at wide receiver. And, each of them excel in their own, unique way.

With Diggs' contract being up after this season, too, that's another reason to keep the youngsters around. Metchie and Hutchinson could have even bigger roles if Diggs leaves via free agency in 2025, and allowing them to stick around and continue developing in order to do so was a wise move.

Even after investing in Brown and Skowronek, the Texans chose to make the sacrifice of cutting them in order to keep the younger, more promising players on the roster. That was the right call, when all was said and done.

Stroud is soon to be just 23 years old, and he has the right balance of veteran experience and youth in his wide receiver room. The Texans are set up well for 2024, and should be well set for the next couple of years, too.