The Houston Texans had a great game against the Cincinnati Bengals last week and thanks to some stellar resilience was able to get the win 30-27 against them. The Bengals are going to be in for a rough season, as they've since lost Joe Burrow for the season in their follow-up game, a Thursday night showdown against AFC North rivals the Baltimore Ravens.
The Texans, on the other hand, have a mostly healthy roster heading into the Arizona Cardinals matchup on Sunday. The Cardinals had been an interesting team with Joshua Dobbs under center, but the team was too competitive with him and traded him to the Minnesota Vikings. Now, the Cardinals have Kyler Murray back, and the Texans have themselves one tough out.
But thanks to the recent string of wins and improving gameplay, we are starting to see not only who the best players on the team are, but who the most consistent players are. The guys you can count on week in and week out. The guys who turn a team into an experience that lasts years.
The Texans have a great young crop of budding stars to build around, and they're going to need their best players to be consistent if they're to make the playoffs. And with that, we're looking at the Top 5 players from the Houston Texans according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
5. DE Jonathan Greenard 79.6
Jonathan Greenard has been a defensive end for the Houston Texans since being drafted four years ago. In his time with the team, he's amassed 17.5 career sacks through four seasons and is currently the fifth-rated player according to PFF with a 79.6 rating. He is the fifth-rated overall player but the second-rated defensive player. He edges out fellow defensive end and rookie standout Mike Anderson Jr.
Greenard has been excelling all season as a good, all-around player, who can get after the quarterback as well as he stops the run. He's not a world-beater like a J.J. Watt was, but he's an all-around player who can easily provide a decade's worth of play for the Texans going forward.
Injuries have slowed Greenard, playing in just 42 games out of a possible 58. It's part of the reason why he's never had the huge impactful season one would expect out of the former 3rd rounder, but now fully healthy, Greenard is having the best year of his career so far.
He's amassed a career-high in solo tackles already, has tied his total tackles output, and is one sack shy of his career-high, a number he'll likely hit. With the addition of Anderson, Greenard has been far more effective at getting to the quarterback, so it's likely that he will break his prior best number of 8.0 sacks in his next game.
4. QB C.J. Stroud 81.7
It may seem a bit shocking considering his general impact on the game, but yes, C.J. Stroud is only the 4th highest rated member of the Houston Texans according to PFF. The rookie dynamo is out here slingin' the rock with the best of them but for some reason, he's only fourth among all Texans.
So while some people want to talk about him for the NFL's Most Valuable Player award, it's important to realize that Stroud has achieved his success thanks in part to the play of those around him. Not only that, but the team is winning not just due to his arm, but the defense on the other side of him. These are things that don't get mentioned enough in the national media and it'll be a bit more clear partly why Stroud is having the season that he is.
Still, he has had a season where he's thrown 15 touchdowns, and two interceptions and amassed 2,600+ yards already through nine games. All while adding another two rushing touchdowns to his name. Stroud has been every bit of good as fans had hoped for when he was drafted by the Texans and it's looking like they've found their quarterback of the future.
3. WR Nico Collins 84.4
Nico Collins has been everything that fans had hoped he'd be coming out of Michigan. The former-round pick has come into the 2023 season and has already set new career highs in yards, touchdowns, and first downs, while also setting himself up to surpass his former highs in targets and receptions during the game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Collins has struggled to stay consistent in the last few years, but that doesn't seem to be the case now. The two biggest reasons for that have been his staying healthy and the arrival of C.J. Stroud, who has helped reshape the offense just with his skills alone. Still, Stroud is only as good as the talent around him and guys like Collins have helped Stroud exceed expectations.
While Collins is having his best season to date, Collins has also shown to be a bit inconsistent week to week, with some weeks he's hitting PFF grades of 91.4 and 93.3 and other weeks he's in the 50s.
It's not a sign that Collins is a bad receiver by any means, but it's likely a sign that the Texans may still need to invest a first or second-round pick in a receiver this offseason, only to have a guy who can be a bit more consistent week in and week out.
2. LB Blake Cashman 86.2
The top-rated defensive player for the Houston Texan has been Blake Cashman, a five-year pro who was originally drafted by the New York Jets. A former fifth-round draft pick out of Minnesota, Cashman has been mostly a backup until this season, when he's taken over as the starting Sam linebacker.
In his first year as a starter, he has the most tackles on the team, the most solo tackles on the team, and the second most tackles for a loss. He's also been one of if not the biggest reason the Texans' run defense has been so good, as Cashman is posting a grade of 85.3 against the run according to PFF.
The good thing about Cashman is that he doesn't fall off much when opposing teams try to pass on him. He still rocks a respectable 77.4 in coverage. A comendable number for a linebacker in a mostly passing league.
Cashman has done everything in his power to not only earn more reps with the Texans but a new contract as well, seeing that he's in the last year of his current deal. If the Texans are smart, they're going to do everything they can to retain their best linebacker.
1. WR Noah Brown 87.7
Of all the players, Noah Brown is currently the one that rates the highest among all Houston Texans players, at least if we're talking about PFF. Pro Football Focus has given the former seventh-round pick a total grade of 87.7 and it's mostly due to his big-play nature. He is averaging over 20 yards per reception for the season.
And it's not even just the average, he's already put up 439 yards while catching 21 passes and only being targeted 29 times. All while just playing in five games so far.
A lot of the reason that Brown is where he is in the grading is due to his last three games against the Carolina Panthers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Cincinnati Bengals. In those three games alone, Brown has PFF grades of 85.9, 90.1, and 91.6 respectively. Some of the highest single-game scores the Texans have seen this season from any player, let alone receiver.
It's not a bad output from a former member of the Dallas Cowboys. No one thought that Brown would come from Dallas and have the impact he's having, but that's exactly the case. If Brown can keep going at this rate, he'll likely hit 1,000 yards before too long, as he's averaging 127 yards per game over the last three games.