The Houston Texans avoid a heavy burden in PFF's newest article

The Houston Texans were one of the biggest movers and shakers in the offseason, adding to a roster that was already quite loaded. Having exceeded all expectations in 2023, the club decided to load up the roster around young star players like C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. Both men won their respective Rookie of the Year Awards and got veteran help in the offseason to further improve their stats.

Stroud will be paired with Stefon Diggs, while Anderson will line on the opposite side of the defensive line from Danielle Hunter. The additions have got everyone excited about the immediate future of the Texans. After all, the team won the AFC South last year and defeated the Cleveland Browns to advance to the playoffs.

This is not a team to sleep on. The additions this year, not just that of Diggs and Hunter, have the Texans in a place where many believe they're going to compete not just for the AFC South again, but the Super Bowl. Assuming everything goes according to plan, this may be the best squad in Houston history.

Despite the vaunted expectations, the Texans are not in a make-or-break season. Yes, the team went all-in on the offseason, but they are a team that has some wiggle room. A down year won't put the team in a bad spot. At least that's according to Pro Football Focus, who released their list of seven teams who are under pressure to succeed in 2024.

PFF names the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Chicago Bears as teams with the most to prove this season.

Each of those teams makes sense to a degree. The Jets need Aaron Rodgers to produce, despite his history of issues that continue to build. The Eagles haven't been the same since winning the Super Bowl and the roster is aging. The Cowboys and Dolphins are perennial disappointers, while the Jaguars are stuck in a 9-8 rut. The Falcons spent a lot of money on Kirk Cousins, only to draft a rookie quarterback early. So the pressure is on to win now. While the Bears got the first overall pick in the draft, Caleb Williams. How he performs will go a long way in determining how the Bears do long-term.

The Texans don't fit in with any of those teams. They're young, unlike the Jets. They're coming off of a great postseason, unlike the Eagles. They don't have the same history of hype and disappointment as the Dolphins and Cowboys. They're even the team that helped the Jaguars take a spot on this list. They didn't make any foolish decisions involving the quarterback position this offseason and their top pick, C.J. Stroud, already looks like a stud. So they're not hoping for anything like the Bears are.