While the Dallas Cowboys stood pat during the first day of the NFL’s “open negotiating period” on Monday, every other team made moves to attempt to improve their rosters.
That includes the Houston Texans, who agreed to terms with nine players, including linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, defensive end Denico Autry, and Super Bowl champion punter Tommy Townsend, and followed by trading for Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon and signing All-Pro defensive end Danielle Hunter on Tuesday.
Here are the remaining offseason needs for the Texans to address through the rest of free agency and the NFL Draft after their recent additions.
Linebacker
The linebacker position has also been addressed with the addition of Al-Shaair, but Houston already lost Blake Cashman to Minnesota and could lose as many as three linebackers from last season’s defense.
Offensive Line
Injuries have forced inconsistencies in Houston’s offensive line, and the team may lose up to 28 starts from last season in free agency — including starting center Michael Deiter and offensive tackle George Fant. The current players on the roster at those positions are inexperienced, so the Texans could benefit from adding some veterans, particularly around a young quarterback who lit up the league as a rookie last season.
Running Back Depth
As mentioned above, Houston traded for Cincinnati’s Joe Mixon on Tuesday morning, adding a former Pro Bowler with over 6,000 career rushing yards to create a backfield duo with Dameon Pierce. However, Pierce regressed in his second year in the league, and Houston lost Devin Singletary to the New York Giants and currently has no other running backs on its roster.
Backup Tight End
Dalton Schultz proved himself with the Cowboys in 2022 and parlayed it into a chance with the Texans last season. Houston re-signed him to a three-year deal earlier this offseason to keep him as its starting tight end, but the offense would lose a great deal of production from the position, particularly in the passing game, if Schultz were to miss any time.
