J.J. Watt is very high on his former team.
The legendary defensive end called the Houston Texans “a team on the rise” after they rose from the bottom of the AFC South to the top and made the AFC divisional round. Even more, Watt told the Houston Chronicle’s Greg Rajan the Texans are already at the point where they can compete for championships.
“I would say from an outsider’s perspective, they’re ahead of schedule,” Watt said. “… I think they do have to approach this as this is a very real and legitimate window.”
What comes next is entirely up to the team, though.
They have a lot of in-house free agents but the third-most salary cap space. There are needs across the roster, too, such as a running back, backup wide receiver and various other positions depending on who the team keeps ahead of free agency. And then there’s the draft, where the Texans hold the No. 23 overall pick a year after general manager Nick Caserio hit it big with Derek Stingley Jr. in 2022 and then C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson and Tank Dell in 2023.
But the success of this past season makes Houston an enviable location for new talent, according to Watt. He called the Texans “a destination” for players now.
“Players are going to want to play for [head coach] DeMeco Ryans. Players are going to want to play with a C.J. Stroud-led team,” Watt said. “And they see what’s being built down there and we all know in the NFL, if you have a phenomenal quarterback on a rookie deal, that sets you up for success.”
The AFC is littered with competitors, though, as evidenced by the Kansas City Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl wins, the Baltimore Ravens dismantling of this Texans team in the divisional round and the always-contending Buffalo Bills.
The window to win is there, but now it’s on the Texans to jump through it wholeheartedly.