3 moves Texans should make after re-signing Dalton Schultz
By Ryan Heckman
Prior to the start of the new league year next week, the Houston Texans answered one of their biggest free agency questions.
On Tuesday, the Texans agreed with tight end Dalton Schultz on a brand-new contract.
Schultz was set to become a free agent if a deal was not reached, but alas, it came to fruition.
it's a 3-year deal worth $36 million for Schultz, coming off a season that saw him catch 59 passes for 635 yards and five touchdowns.
Sources: The #Texans have agreed to terms on a deal to keep TE Dalton Schultz in Houston. He gets a 3-year, $36M new contract with $23.5M fully guaranteed at signing. Schultz is a key weapon for CJ Stroud.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 5, 2024
The deal was done by TE guru and agent @SteveCaric of @Wass_Football. pic.twitter.com/DmvAEi43jm
Now that the Texans are bringing back one of the integral parts of the offense, what's left to accomplish?
There are a few key needs, on offense, in order to continue helping quarterback C.J. Stroud take the next step.
1. Add interior offensive line depth
Both Juice Scruggs and Jarrett Patterson could end up being starters for this team in 2024, but Kenyon Green looks pretty safe as being labeled a draft bust. This team needs to add more depth on the interior, whether it be for competition's sake or purely in case of injury.
2. Add a wide receiver early in the draft
Last year, we saw Stroud make the most of this receiving core. Nico Collins made the transition to a full-blown WR1 for this team, while rookie Tank Dell became another favorite target. But, Noah Brown is going to be a free agent and Robert Woods certainly isn't the dynamic type this offense needs. At pick no. 23, the Texans could be looking at someone like Oregon's Troy Franklin or even Adonai Mitchell out of Texas.
Either one of those guys are strong options late in the first round and could take this offense to the next level.
3. Sign Saquon Barkley
Speaking of taking the offense to the next level, the best way to do that could be to sign free agent running back Saquon Barkley, who has seen his name linked to the Texans time and time again over the past few weeks.
Barkley was not given the franchise tag in New York and appears set to test the free agency waters. Houston leaned more on Devin Singletary last year than Dameon Pierce, and Singletary is also a free agent.
Running back is a question mark, right now, but Barkley could answer that question emphatically. He's still one of the best all-around backs in football and might just be the missing piece to this Texans offense.
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