There’s no hiding the Houston Texans’ biggest concern

You know a position is in trouble when our own community calls the Houston Texans out for it. Despite an offseason in which names like Kamire Lassiter, Danielle Hunter and Stefon Diggs were added, the team did little to improve the linebacker corps. They added middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, but in doing so they gave him money that former linebacker Blake Cashman likely would have gotten.

So even though they play different spots on the field, the Texans signed Al-Shaair instead of Cashman. In doing so, they brought in a middle linebacker who wasn’t as good an outside linebacker as Cashman. It was not the right decision to make. They were supposed to keep Cashman while signing Al-Shaair, but that’s not what happened.

Instead, the linebacker corps has somehow gotten weaker with each passing year. It’s such a shame that Texans Wire ranked Houston’s linebacker corps 21st in the NFL. It’s not an unfair rating either. When you look at the rest of the unit, it’s fair to see why they rank so low.

The article lists Al-Shaair, former 2023 starters Christian Harris and Henry To’oto’o as key players at the position, while also naming Jake Hansen, Jamal Hill and Neville Hewitt. Not exactly a band that has us very excited for things to come. Harris improved as the year went on, but he still wasn’t “good” this year. To’oto’o struggled as a rookie, but he’s part of a super impressive draft class, so he’ll have his chance to prove his detractors wrong.

While the other players listed, Hansen, Hill and Hewitt, are largely unimpressive. However, some believe Hansen could step up and become a major player on the team. We saw Cashman do the same thing in Houston, so it’s not impossible that Hansen could do something similar in 2024.

Despite this possibility, few people believe that this unit will be greatly improved. It’s certainly possible, but it’s unlikely.