With the Super Bowl now in the rear-view mirror, all 32 teams are now firmly focused on building for the 2022 NFL season. That process begins in earnest with the Scouting Combine, taking place this week in Indianapolis. It is a chance for coaches and front offices alike to evaluate players, including underclassmen, for the first time in person.
For Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio, this week is about one word.
Information.
“This week, it’s really about information,” Caserio told the media on Tuesday afternoon. “There are going to be some players that work out, there are going to be some players that do certain things. Really, it’s about what you take out of this week.”
“The most important thing for is is to kind of know as many players as possible,” he continued. “Relative to last season…the pool of players [we are going to have access to] is a little bit wider, so we’re just trying to get as much information. The group that probably is most pressing is the underclassmen, because this is really the first opportunity we’ve extensively with them face-to-face, a lot of them were not at All-Star games, so I would say we’re kind of in the infantile stages.”
Of course, one of the biggest questions facing Caserio and the Texans is the ongoing situation with quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson remains involved in a large civil litigation process involving allegations of sexual misconduct. When asked about that situation, Caserio reiterated that the team is, like many in the media, just waiting for information regarding that litigation and taking matters “day by day.”
With respect to the scouting side, Caserio reiterated that what they are looking for in terms of players boils down to the traits they show on the field and the potential they display for growth away from it. “I’d say philosophically, in terms of players, competitiveness, toughness, consistency and grit, and a level of football aptitude and intelligence.” Caserio wants the prospects to let them know what each of them knows coming into the NFL, so then how “quickly” the players can make progress once inside an NFL building.
Caserio did address one schematic line of thinking, with respect to the tight end position. When asked about the current composition of the Texans’ tight end group, the general manager dove into the benefits of 12 personnel and how multiple tight end position packages can impact what defenses do, and create opportunities for the offense:
It’s a position that we’re certainly going to evaluate. So with 12 personal I think really what you’re trying to do when you’re in 12 personnel you’re trying to make a determination of what the defense is going to do and how you want to play. When you look at the league what’s happened teams have to make a decision about what they do against 12 personnel. Are they going to put more of a base defense on the field or are they going to play with more of a nickel defense. If we have a nickel defense on the field you know maybe you create some matchups in the running game.
Still, the week is about getting information, and continuing the process of “building a team” as Caserio noted. With a lot of questions to answer, the information that Caserio and the Texans gather this week is going to go a long way towards determining how that roster is going to look in the spring.