There are few holes surrounding the Houston Texans’ defense entering Week 1’s matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
Will Anderson Jr. could be poised for a breakout season after winning Defensive Rookie of the Year. Teams can’t double-team him since the acquisition of four-time Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter now stands on the other side.
Derek Stingley might be ready for an All-Pro season now fully healthy. Opposite him stands rookie sensation Kamari Lassiter, who could be a dark horse to follow in Anderson’s footsteps as this year’s Rookie of the Year.
Add in Jimmie Ward, Jalen Pitre, Denico Autry, Azeez Al-Shaair and Christian Harris, best believe Houston’s defense is ready for battle in 2024. Yet if the Texans could bolster their interior pass rush, the unit perhaps would be viewed as an elite one.
According to Bleacher Report, that’s a selling point for Houston to land Washington Commanders Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen in a trade before Sunday’s showdown at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Allen would instantly upgrade a weak area for the Texans. With Will Anderson Jr. and Hunter coming off the edge, Allen would bring a little more punch to the interior than the current combination of Folorunso Fatukasi and Mario Edwards Jr.
Allen’s 5.5 sacks were more than Fatukasi and Edwards had combined last season.
With C.J. Stroud, Tank Dell and Anderson all on rookie contracts, the Texans should be playing to win now. Even if Houston were to move off Allen following the season, his addition would expand the pass rush while also elevating the run defense.
Autry, who signed a two-year deal this offseason, is out for the first six games due to a PED suspension. He’s expected to be an interchangeable part of the defensive line while seeing reps at both defensive tackle and defensive end.
Once he returns, a quartet of Allen, Anderson, Autry and Hunter, plus Edwards and Fatukasi as rotational options, could make Houston’s defensive line the league’s best. Houston has the draft capital and players worth moving if Washington is willing to listen.
At the trade deadline, the Commanders could be ready to punt on the season and turn toward 2025. Bleacher Report writes that thanks to the addition of a rookie defensive lineman, Allen could become expendable.
They paid Daron Payne this offseason and drafted Jer’Zhan Newton in the second round of this draft.
Continuing to pay that kind of premium at defensive tackle might not be the wisest move for a rebuilding roster.
The Texans open the regular season on Sunday at noon.