The 2021 NFL year kicks off in March. After a horrific 4-12 season, the Houston Texans are facing an off-season that is bound to be full of change. New general manager Nick Caserio and coach David Culley represent a balance of power that is a far cry from the pseudo-dictatorship a year ago in the front office. They will have plenty of work to do in order to turn around what is easily one of the most expensive and least talented rosters in the league.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson has demanded a trade and is adamant about finding a new team as Houston is that they won’t trade him. J.J. Watt is out the door and set to sign somewhere else while emergent alpha-receiver Will Fuller is also set to be a free agent. Even if Fuller and Watson are convinced to return, there is going to be a very different vibe in the franchise compared to the tone of 2020.
With that said, history is important. George Santayana said “those who don’t learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” The Houston Texans certainly made a history textbook’s worth of errors during the O’Brien era. Here are four key takeaways Caserio and Culley must avoid.