DeMeco Ryans, C.J. Stroud get real about Texans' future after Ravens loss
The NFL is a league of parity, yet, teams are still afforded windows of time to win a championship -or championships- if they play their cards right. Being in this situation is a testament to proper team-building and good decision-making, but said window(s) can close at any moment. There is no guaranteed timeframe that comes […]
The NFL is a league of parity, yet, teams are still afforded windows of time to win a championship -or championships- if they play their cards right. Being in this situation is a testament to proper team-building and good decision-making, but said window(s) can close at any moment.
There is no guaranteed timeframe that comes with the opportunity of winning a Lombardi.
For the Houston Texans, it remains to be seen how long their window stays open, especially since it's only cracked open, at this point. However, it's more than fair to say the franchise is on the right path with head coach DeMeco Ryans and star quarterback, C.J. Stroud.
The 2024 offseason represents a major opportunity to fling that window open and leave it as such for a long time. The Texans have eight 2024 draft picks that include five picks in the first four rounds and they currently have the third-most cap space at $71,438,770, per Over The Cap. It becomes even more impressive when considering they still have 42 rostered players and their effective cap space -the amount of room left after factoring in the cost of the draft class- is over $60 million.
In other words: The Texans are in excellent shape heading into the offseason. Especially when factoring in Stroud's rookie contract.
Still, they're going to have to make some really big decisions. The team has 27 impending, unrestricted free agents needing new contracts and a good chunk of that number is comprised of some pretty big names: pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, tight end Dalton Schultz, running back Devin Singletary, defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins, tackle George Fant, wide receiver Noah Brown, linebacker Denzel Perryman, and kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn – among others.
"We understand that, in this league, nothing stays the same," Ryans said after the loss to the Baltimore Ravens. "Year-by-year, it's a year-to-year league, nothing stays the same. And our guys knew that. They knew this team – we had our moment, this was our time. [But] this team won't be the same next year. Whether it's players, coaches, it won't be the same. It's always evolving [and] always changing."
"I hope those guys look back and are like 'Man, I enjoyed playing with CJ', for the guys not coming back next year, or whatever," Stroud told reporters after the game. "You know, it's gonna be a whole different team next year."
There will be plenty of time for deeper free agency dives over the the coming weeks, but it will be very interesting to see how Houston handles the offseason. The team has an excellent foundation with Ryans, Stroud, left tackle Laremy Tunsil, wide receiver Nico Collins, defensive end, Will Anderson, and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. – all very good players at premium positions. And the key with all of those players but Tunsil is the fact they're all still very affordable through 2024. Houston should eventually pay all the other guys, so it needs to be mindful of that, but it's still a big help when it comes to navigating this offseason.
Ryans and Texans general manager Nick Caserio certainly played their cards right with all the 2023 capital and it's safe to say the franchise will be in an even better spot if they can even emulate 75% of said success in 2024.
The best part is they have all the tools to get there.
