The Houston Texans offense is either getting underestimated or accurately assessed in the doldrums of the 2020 offseason.
Mark Schofield of Touchdown Wire ranked all 32 of the NFL’s offenses, and he placed the Texans at No. 17 overall.
If this were purely a ranking of quarterbacks, the Houston Texans would check in much higher up this list. But Deshaun Watson is just one man. After making it to the playoffs last season, the Texans traded away perhaps their most dangerous offensive weapon in DeAndre Hopkins in a move that still has people scratching their heads. Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb are nice pieces, but Hopkins is a big loss. Furthermore, the Texans lacked a first round pick, due to the Laremy Tunsil trade from a season ago, and addressed their defense with three of their first four selections. In all, hard to think this offense did not take a step back this offseason.
Aside from the Hopkins trade, the Texans offense has a bevy of positives they are bringing into 2020. Watson is coming off of another virtual 16-game slate; he isn’t rehabbing from an injury. The run game is as good or better than it was last year with David Johnson at running back. In the absence of Hopkins, Houston added his slot replacement in Cobb and another downfield threat in Cooks, one that can actually play a full 16 games. Houston is also returning the same five starting offensive line from a year ago, a first in the Watson era.
Meanwhile the Indianapolis Colts were ranked No. 14 on the list, and the Tennessee Titans placed 10th overall. The Jacksonville Jaguars were the worst AFC South offense with at 27th place.
The lack of offseason workouts also hurts the Texans’ ability to overcome negative prognostications. In a normal offseason, a week’s worth of organized team activities would either support or cast doubt on such gloomy analysis. Until NFL facilities open up to players and coaches, such perceptions of the Texans offense could persist until September.