Houston Texans receive interesting grade for offseason moves

The Houston Texans invested heavily in building a winning team around star second-year quarterback CJ Stroud this offseason.

It wasn’t a cheap offseason for Texans general manager Nick Caserio, and they didn’t take any breaks to make any moves. The addition of veteran players Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon has added to a solid offensive arsenal, while the Texans are now one of the toughest teams to cover in the NFL.

ESPN’s Seth Walder gave each of the NFL’s 32 teams a grade based on their offseason moves and changes. Naturally, the Texans received a B- for their moves.

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Considering the addition of Diggs alongside Tank Dell and Nico Collins – as well as Mixon in the backfield – the offense improved significantly after Stroud recorded 4,108 passing yards and 23 touchdowns during of his rookie campaign. Setter Danielle Hunter will help elevate the defense immediately opposite Will Anderson Jr., who will benefit from her presence.

“It started with free agency to add edge rusher Danielle Hunter on a two-year, almost fully guaranteed $49 million contract to rush the passer opposite Will Anderson Jr.,” Walder wrote. “…Houston’s home run came as part of a pre-draft trade that took advantage of the Minnesota quarterback’s desperation, earning a future second-round pick to move from No. 23 to No. #42 in the draft.”

The second-round pick was high value for the Texans, but they quickly reversed profits to try to continue solidifying themselves as a contender. Trading the second-round pick for Diggs arguably gave the team the best wide receiver trio in the NFL. According to Walder, however, the conclusion of such an agreement was questionable.

“This game was an easy win, but they made a questionable profit choice by trading that pick for Diggs,” Walder continued. “On the surface, this decision may have been defensible given Houston’s schedule, but when the Texans agreed to give Diggs a raise and shorten his contract to one year, it became a costly decision for a one year rental.”

It wasn’t the only “costly” decision the team made, either. They adjusted the contracts of Diggs and Mixon, two new veteran players on the offense.

“Similarly, Houston’s initial trade for running back Joe Mixon in exchange for a seventh-round pick was fine, if not good. But the Texans unnecessarily gave him a new contract, eliminating any value relating to his contract that Mixon owned, and then some,” Walder wrote.

If the Texans win their first Lombardi Trophy, overpaying a player will be worth it. Another incredible deal the team made was the extension of Nico Collins – who signed for incredible value. Regardless, the Texans now have real expectations for them after a very, very strong offseason.

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Stay with TexansGameday for more coverage on the Houston Texans throughout the offseason.

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