Where do the Houston Texans fall in ESPN's post-free agent splurge Power Rankings

The Houston Texans have had a busy offseason, turning over a huge chunk of their roster in the process. The squad went to the second round of the playoffs, where they were handled by the Baltimore Ravens pretty solidly. The team needed to make improvements to the roster if they hoped to avoid the same outcome during the 2024 season. Did they do that in free agency and get their team markedly better?

We'll find out, but thanks to people like ESPN we can already start the overhype train for the Texans before the NFL Draft is here.

According to ESPN, the Texans a solid offseason so far, so solid in fact that they have the Texans at No. 8, one spot up from their prior spot on their too-early-power-rankings list. According to DJ Bien-Aime, the vocal point of the offseason seemed to revolve around the acquisition of running back Joe Mix, as Bien-Aime goes on to write;

"The Texans want to be explosive in both the run and pass games to keep defenses off balance. Adding Mixon, who rushed for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns (and had three receiving TDs) last season, could bolster a rushing attack that ranked 22nd in yards per game (96.8) in 2023.

Mixon has rushed for 1,000 yards four times in his seven-year career. If the Texans can get those numbers out of Mixon -- with quarterback C.J. Stroud taking another leap in Year 2 -- the team's ceiling could be high in 2024"

He's not wrong about Mixon's prior seasons, but what is often forgotten about him is that he's not a big threat out of the backfield and he's not exactly someone who can get you 4.0 yards per carry regularly. He's not an upgrade over Devin Singletary as things stand, but he could still be useful. The problem is that everyone keeps looking at Mixon as a coup for the Texans when in reality he was a desperate move after the club low-balled Saquon Barkley.

Then they gave him a huge contract that still boggles the mind, making sure that he has to have a career year to avoid being seen as one of the worst offseason additions.

That said, the team should be seen as a Top 10 squad still, just because of C.J. Stroud and the rest of the offense around him. He has three stellar receivers and a very good tight end to throw to. He needs help on the offensive line, but hopefully, the Texans can shore that up during the 2024 NFL Draft.