Tag: nick caserio

‘Top tier destination’: Texans legend J.J. Watt is a fan of Stefon Diggs trade

J.J. Watt has been pleased with the future of the Houston Texans over the past two offseasons.

J.J. Watt served as the final piece of the turning of times at NRG Stadium when the Houston Texans selected him 11th overall in 2011. Prior to his arrival, Houston had only one winning season.

Perhaps the arrival of Offensive Rookie of the Year and wunderkind C.J. Stroud sends a second wind through the franchise that ends with a Lombardi Trophy. Regardless, Watt is excited to see what unfolds in the Texans’ future.

The three-time Defensive Player of the Year took to Twitter on Wednesday following the Stefon Diggs trade, praising the AFC South franchise for its two-year turnaround. Last season, Houston added Stroud, along with Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. and former Pro Bowl linebacker DeMeco Ryans as head coach.

A year later, the Texans added Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon, Diggs and four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter.

The Texans were looking to build off their first double-digit win season in four years and saw the opportunity to splurge with Stroud still on his rookie contract. After failing to sign a premier running back at the start of free agency, general manager Nick Caserio traded a seventh-round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals for Mixon.

Mixon, who will turn 28 in July, is coming off another 1,000-yard rushing season and has shown no signs of slowing down. The Texans believe his best years are still ahead and plan to use him as their bell-cow back after agreeing to terms on a three-year extension worth $27 million.

“I’m not thinking about a drop-off,” Ryans said of Mixon at the owners meetings last week. “I’m thinking about the positives and the things that [he’s] done in his career. He’s been consistent throughout his entire career — a guy who can move the chains for you, a guy who can open up the passing game with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He just opens up the things that we can do offensively.”

Defensively, the addition of Hunter should be considered an upgrade — on paper at least — over the departed Jonathan Greenard. He’s coming off a career-high 16.5-sack season with the Minnesota Vikings and led the league with 23 tackles for loss.

Signed to a two-year deal worth up to $51 million, Hunter looks to become the first Texans player since Watt to record back-to-back double-digit sack campaigns on Houston’s defense. He also will serve as a teacher and confidant for Anderson, who broke Watt’s rookie sack record this past fall.

“He’s exciting,” Hunter said of Anderson during his introductory press conference last month. “Has a lot of tools. I was with him earlier, and he just can’t stop jumping, how eager he is to go out there and rush the passer together. Very good kid. I’m excited just to be able to go out there and teach him a lot of things that I know and become a better player.

One of the greatest defensive linemen of the 2000s, Watt guided Houston to five playoff appearances in 10 years. On top of winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards, Watt also recorded 101 of his 113 career sacks as a member of the AFC South franchise.

Watt was the second player added to Houston’s Ring of Honor this offseason, joining Hall of Fame wide receiver Andre Johnson. He’ll join Johnson in Canton, Ohio, when eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2028.

Grading the Texans trade of Stefon Diggs from Bills

The Houston Texans are adding a top-10 weapon for C.J. Stroud with the trade for Stefon Diggs, but how does the trade look long-term?

The first goal for any rebuilding franchise is to find a promising quarterback with five years of roster control. The second? Build around him and compete for a title while he’s still on a rookie contract.

Consider all those boxes checked for the Houston Texans following Wednesday’s trade.

The Texans are adding former Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick acquired from the Minnesota Vikings. The deal will now have Diggs in Houston through the 2027 season.

Houston continues to build around Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud entering his second season. The former first-rounder already has two breakout targets in Nico Collins and Tank Dell back on rookie contracts.

Last month, the Texans inked a new three-year, $36 million extension with Dalton Schultz just before the franchise tag deadline and also brought in Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowler Joe Mixon. Both are here for the long-term after the 27-year-old tailback agreed to terms on a new three-year, $27 million extension after being traded for a seventh-round pick.

Diggs, 30, is the missing piece. He’s the final element needed to turn Houston from a rising AFC South champion into a legitimate AFC contender for years to come. But how does this trade actually grade out for the Texans past 2024?

Continue reading “Grading the Texans trade of Stefon Diggs from Bills”

2024 NFL draft: Texans send 5 coaches and GM to Texas’ Pro Day

The Houston Texans were well represented at the Texas Pro Day with Nick Caserio, DeMeco Ryans and several staff members in attendance.

The Houston Texans were well represented at the University of Texas Pro Day on Wednesday.

Six members of the team — including general manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans — made the three-hour journey from Houston to Austin to watch some of the Longhorns’ top players work out ahead of the 2024 NFL draft in April. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, defensive coordinator Matt Burke, newly promoted defensive line coach Rod Wright (who’s also an alum of Texas) and wide receivers coach Ben McDaniels were also in attendance.

Texas boasts a long list of potential fits for the Texans, including wide receiver and defensive line.

First, let’s start with the wideouts: Xavier Worthy — who broke the NFL combine 40-yard dash record —and Adonai Mitchell. Worthy is more of the take-the-top-off burner wide receiver, while Mitchell is often compared to the pass-catchers like Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. Worthy’s speed is a very interesting aspect of his game, while Mitchell feels like the more natural fit for the Texans given his versatility to play in the slot and on the boundary.

The need for a slot wide receiver is obvious for the Texans, but neither Worthy nor Mitchell could be on the board when Houston picks in the second round after Caserio traded away the No. 23 overall pick to move back to No. 42.

Another area of concern is interior defensive line. Texas has two quality prospects at that position, too: Byron Murphy II and T’vondre Sweat. This duo amassed seven sacks in 2023 and have quickly grabbed the attention of football fans after whose team lacks the talent in their defensive front.

While each player offers a very different skill set, there is no doubt the Texans could benefit from their services after the departure of three of the four starting defensive line members from the 2023 season.

Murphy on paper feels like the more natural fit for the Texans defense, as Ryans tends to keep his front within a certain set of parameters when it comes to physical make up. Murphy is 6-foot-1 and 297 pounds — a similar build to what the other defensive tackles look like on the Texans.

Murphy could be gone before the Texans make a selection, though. Sweat, meanwhile, could be a very real possibility in the second round. Caserio appeared to watch Sweat’s workout intently, and defensive line coach Rod Wright, who played defensive tackle for the Longhorns, spoke with Sweat after his workout.

 

Sending this type of contingent of staff to a Pro Day doesn’t necessarily mean anything, especially given the short travel time to Austin. However, Texas has a lot of good players at positions of need for Houston.

The trip was warranted, but where the Texans go in the draft is anyone’s guess at this point.

Could Justin Madubuike evolve DeMeco Ryans’ Texans defense?

Breaking down the free agent fit for defensive tackle Justin Madubuike and the Houston Texans.

“The front, again, is everything for me, and we’ll invest a ton of resources into the front. If you want to play good defense, your front has to be elite, and that’s what I envision us playing: elite defensive football.”

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans finished his last press conference of the 2023 season addressing the front seven, where he had once shined as a player and now a hopeful focus for his football team.

“We have to get better there – and to get better there – you have to invest the resources there up front, so that’s what we’ll do. That’s where our focus is heading into the offseason is to make sure our front gives us an opportunity to win some games.”

It was an honest, and extremely fair, assessment of the Texans after their crushing 34-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson and running backs Justice Hill and Gus Edwards had combined for 206 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. They gradually wore down the Texans’ defensive front with little opportunity to rest as C.J. Stroud and the Houston offense could not stay off the field.

Ironically, this was a strength of the Texans for most of the year. They were one of the NFL’s best run defenses in 2023 and saw monster seasons from edge rushers Will Anderson and Jonathan Greenard as well as the emergence of second year linebacker Christian Harris.

That leaves the question of where the front could improve primarily to two spots on the defense. The defensive tackle position, manned in ’23 by Maliek Collins and pending free agent Sheldon Rankins, and linebacker play alongside Harris. 

Defensive tackle plays a pivotal role in controlling the line of scrimmage and they’re asked to be versatile in DeMeco Ryans’ attacking front four – notably, one of the best in the game is set to reach free agency.

After terrorizing the Houston Texans with a sack in their Week 1 contest and two quarterback hits in the playoff matchup, Baltimore Ravensdefensive tackle Justin Madubuike is reaching the market after a career year.

Madubuike had an insane 13 sacks, 56 total tackles, 33 quarterback hits and 64 total pressures per Next Gen Stats. It was a season that earned him Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors and is going to yield to a significant pay day.

He was one of the best pass-rushing defensive tackles in football and found the quarterback at an exceptional rate. Madubuike’s 2.7% sack rate was the highest in the NFL amongst defensive tackles and a big part of why he led the position in sacks.

Part of this was due to Baltimore’s scheme, they let Madubuike play like a star player. He was employed on stunts and utilized in a way that made him dynamic and interruptive alongside players like former Texan Jadeveon Clowney. 

If the Texans want to improve the front, he represents an obvious solution in free agency.

Madubuike is a perfect fit for the attacking 3-technique defensive tackle that Ryans covets. He would impact the run game consistently while also giving the Texans a dynamic pass rusher on the interior that few NFL teams are able to employ.

This play, where Madubuike chases down Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey, encompasses everything that Ryans has preached. The concept of “Swarm” and down-to-down effort that ultimately dictates the game. It’s easy to envision a brutally tough front led by Madubuike and the Defensive Rookie of the Year in Anderson.

His pass rush skillset would not only demand double teams to aid the rest of the line but his athleticism could be ideal for stunt plays with edges like Anderson and Jerry Hughes.

There are fair concerns about the potential addition, largely financial ones. A contract for Madubuike could cost over $20M APY in free agency. That would almost certainly eliminate Houston’s ability to bring back Greenard after his career season. Would Ryans more so covet the edge rusher or a defensive tackle that impacts the game in a whole different way? That’s uncertain.

There’s also the matter of regression. It’s a fair question for any player that breaks out like Madubuike.

Can the Texans expect Madubuike to perform like this into future years? He had never produced more than 5.5 sacks or 10 quarterback hits in a season prior to 2023. Even if he maintains his level of play at a high level, it’s likely that his sack percentage will decrease closer to league average moving forward as well simply off chance. 

Last year, the San Francisco 49ers signed Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a huge deal after a similar career season. He was an impactful player for the 49ers this year, but he did not touch double digit sacks the way he did in 2022.

If the Texans are comfortable financially with investing in a defensive tackle and understand they may see dominance, but never to this level, it could be a great fit for Houston.

The team has over $50 million to spend in free agency. It’ll be up to general manager Nick Caserio to decide how to invest if he wants to meet Ryans goals of improving the front. If Madubuike ultimately dodges the tag from Baltimore, he looks like an enticing solution to their problem.

Texans CB Steven Nelson opens up about social media dispute with GM Nick Caserio

Steven Nelson discussed a former dispute with Texans GM Nick Caserio, his regret for it and his surprise how it blew up on social media.

Cornerback Steven Nelson had a career season with the Houston Texans.

Despite turning 30 this past year, he started 16 of 17 games for Houston while totaling 63 tackles, 12 passes defended and four interceptions during the regular season. He was a big part of the Texans’ playoff push and even had a spectacular pick-6 of Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco during the team’s wild-card round victory.

Before the huge season, however, there was training camp.

Nelson publicly feuded with the Texans organization about believing he had earned a raise following a strong 2022 campaign in coach Lovie Smith’s system and wanted better earnings on the one year remaining on his contract. After a few months of negotiation, Nelson lashed out on Instagram on June 28 prior to training camp.

He posted a picture of general manager Nick Caserio’s classic vest with the caption: “Can’t trust someone that wears one of these everyday of the week, clown freak.”

Despite not listing his name, it was obvious who Nelson was referring to. They did eventually reach a contract compromise during training camp, but fans will remember the post all the same.

On his new podcast “The Corner Suite,” Nelson recently discussed this dispute, his regret for it, and how surprised he was at its explosion on social media.

“What’s crazy is, I made a little joke about Nick’s vest, or wardrobe, whatever the case may be,” Nelson said. “I didn’t think it would be as viral as it went. Plus, I didn’t even mention the guy’s name.

“That just goes to show the power of social media. You’ve got all these millions of random people, they’re going to blow everything up. You’ve got people with podcasts, the radio stations, they blew it up.”

The debut episode also features Nelson discussing the team’s transition under head coach DeMeco Ryans, his rise to captaincy with the team, and an overall assessment of his performance in the 2023 season.

Fans will have to see if Nelson and Caserio can yet again agree to a compromise, this time one that would bring the cornerback back to Houston for the 2024 season. He’s a pending free agent and his departure could leave a huge hole at cornerback for the Texans.

The Bank of Tunsil: Houston’s path to more cap space

The Texans could create significant cap space by restructuring Laremy Tunsil’s contract, but should they do it?

Laremy Tunsil has made a career out of earning paydays from the McNair family.

His dominance as a four-time Pro Bowl left tackle for the Houston Texans has, at times, been overshadowed by the massive trade package that brought him to Houston and the subsequent contracts he signed.

Tunsil was traded to Houston in 2019 for two first-round picks and a second-round selection. He played through the 2019 playoff campaign before signing a market-setting three-year, $66 million extension in the summer of 2020 under then-general manager and head coach Bill O’Brien. He became the highest-paid left tackle in NFL history.

The Ole Miss product, despite overall team failure by the Texans, was able to turn an impressive 2022 campaign into yet another market-setting contract – this time with general manager Nick Caserio. Tunsil signed for three years, $75 million last summer to once again take the crown as the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history.

In short, Tunsil has done very well in Houston.

This topic is set to come up yet again this spring as the Texans prepare to make a potential Super Bowl push. Under rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, the team is well ahead of schedule and won the AFC South in 2023 while advancing to the AFC divisional round. A humbling loss to Baltimore exposed that their overall talent level is not yet where it needs to be to truly compete with the top of the conference.

The Texans have plenty of cap space to pursue free agents and upgrades this offseason but if they want to pursue more, they have a very obvious in-house option with their franchise left tackle. The Bank of Tunsil, per se, could return salary cap space in exchange for more immediate money from the Texans by restructuring his contract.

2024 NFL draft: Updated Texans 7-round mock draft

2024 NFL draft: Updated Texans 7-round mock draft after the Texans playoff run ends

The Houston Texans are coming off a very successful season. The AFC South champs weren’t expected to find a lot of wins, but their 10-7 record under rookie head coach Demeco Ryans and a playoff win have Houston buzzing once again.

A year after selecting QB C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall and EDGE Will Anderson at No. 3 — both big hits immediately — Houston won’t pick until No. 23 overall in the first round. That’s a pick acquired from the Cleveland Browns; Houston’s own pick is No. 27 overall, but that was traded to the Cardinals in the move up to select Anderson.

Houston has an interesting set of draft slots. After one pick in each of the first three rounds, Texans GM Nick Caserio has two fourth-rounders and then skips to three picks in the seventh round. The Texans have just three of their own picks — a second (No. 59 overall), one of the fourth-rounders and one of the seventh-rounders.

While their history says they’ll be active traders again, this full mock draft has the Texans making their picks without any more trades.

Nick Caserio goes on epic rant in response to Patriots rumors

Nick Caserio did not hold back on rumors of a potential Patriots reunion next season

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio did not hold back when discussing if he was a potential candidate for the New England Patriots’ general manager job.

It had been reported in November that Caserio would be among a list of “home run hires”, should the Patriots choose to make changes to their personnel.

He began his career with New England as an offensive coaching assistant in 2002. He was New England’s director of player personnel from 2008-2020 and is familiar with the inner workings of the Patriots.

Nevertheless, he is vehemently denying rumors that there is any thought of him coming to New England. As of right now, he is still employed with the Texans, as the organization looks to begin their playoff push.

Caserio spoke about his thoughts in terms of being connected with the New England job, and did so emphatically, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Jason Ounpraseuth.

“I’m going to try and hold my tongue here a little. But I would just say, this time of year, there’s a lot of things that are said and anybody who makes a jackass statement that they either know me, or trust me, you can rely on this information honestly is totally off base,” Caserio said on SportsRadio 610. “I would say I am grateful for the opportunity I have here. Respectfully, I know there are reporters who think they have all the information.

“This becomes silly season. It happens every year, during the January-February cycle when you have coaching changes, whether it’s around the draft. …I focus on the things I can control and not worry about some offhanded statements made out of left field that quite frankly have zero validity. …Whoever these reporters are that make these ridiculous statements, maybe you want to talk to me about it first before you put some information out there that actually has zero basis.”

There’s no denying the success Caserio has had with the Texans’ organization during his tenure there. The Texans have drafted several up-and-coming stars, such as quarterback C. J. Stroud and wide receiver Tank Dell. They are well-positioned for the future and look to make a playoff push.

It will be interesting to see what kind of personnel moves the Patriots make, as they try to improve in the future. Caserio would be a logical fit, given his familiarity with the organization, but he clearly already has a good thing going in Houston right now.

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4 reasons Texans GM Nick Caserio deserves NFL Executive of the Year

Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio has demonstrated throughout 2023 why he should be considered for NFL Executive of the Year.

Life changes quickly in the NFL. Just ask Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio.

Not even a full year ago the Texans were amid their third consecutive season and at the bottom of the standings. Their 3-13-1 campaign and hiring of Lovie Smith had failed to build any momentum from previous coach David Culley’s 4-13 campaign the year prior. Any positive developments from young players were marred by a quarterback with Davis Mills that had failed spectacularly.

Once Smith was fired before the team could even return to Houston from their Week 18 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, the calls for Caserio’s job were ample as well. How could a general manager not position his team to secure the first overall pick after that kind of season? How could that same executive be allowed to hire his third head coach in as many seasons?

The pressure on Caserio didn’t go away, even leading up to April’s 2023 NFL draft. There was speculation he may depart the organization after the draft or even be reduced to a different role with the team. It was hard to find any believer in Houston’s chief decision maker beyond his execution of a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns in 2022.

Fast forward to November 2023, halfway through the NFL season, and the story has changed.

Caserio not only has stopped hearing conversations about his job security, the third year general manager has had virtually every 2023 offseason decision vindicated. For as disastrous and pointless as the 2021 and 2022 Texans were, the 2023 team is every bit as fun and confidence-inspiring.

It’s the type of turnaround that garners national media attention and, potentially, even awards from the NFL national media. At the season’s midpoint, Caserio has a compelling argument for Executive of the Year for four primary reasons.

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Texans’ DeMeco Ryans to handle ‘coaching piece’ of trade deadline

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans knows his role as the NFL trade deadline approaches.

The NFL trade deadline is 3:00 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday, Oct. 31.

The Houston Texans may not be among the teams looking to swap tricks for treats as the needs across the roster are relatively filled, or too precious to actually address. Don’t look for any franchise to trade their interior offensive linemen.

Nevertheless the Texans are still open to offers and have their feelers throughout the other 31 front offices.

DeMeco Ryans is going through his first trade deadline as coach, and outlined just what type of role he has as the deadline passes.

“When it comes to the trade deadline, [general manager] Nick and his scouting staff have done a really good job of looking at guys all throughout the year,” Ryans told reporters Oct. 30. “So, they handle that, we handle the coaching piece of it. If there are opportunities to make our team better, we always look at all opportunities.”

The opportunities for Ryans and his team may come in actual game experiences. Houston looks to prevent their second losing streak of the season as they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at NRG Stadium.

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