Pro Football Focus isn’t a fan of the Houston Texans’ offseason.
With the NFL draft complete and free agency all but finished, PFF recently handed out grades for all 32 teams’ offseasons. With the back-to-back AFC South champions, the publication slapped them with a “D” after “failing” to address the offensive line woes following the trade of five-time Pro Bowl tackle Laremy Tunsil.
“It’s hard to look at this offseason as a success for the Texans,” PFF wrote. “They already struggled on the offensive line last year, as Laremy Tunsil was their only offensive lineman who earned a PFF overall grade above 70.2, and they traded him away during a pivotal time in C.J. Stroud’s rookie-contract window.
“Houston tried to make up for it by bringing in a lot of new bodies, but there is no guarantee they will jell. The team did get better at receiver (ceiling and floor), and the secondary is stacked. But I also have concerns about the Texans’ interior defensive line.”
The Texans might not have landed elite talent on the edge, but they needed a change after last season. Houston allowed the third-most sacks among franchises and the second-most to Stroud, including 11 in the postseason. While Cam Robinson doesn’t scream “fixed,” the addition of Minnesota’s Aireontae Ersery should provide an opportunity to hit reset on the timeline for paying to provide stability on the offensive line.
Regarding the defensive line, PFF might be out of left field here. Houston’s coming off its best season in franchise history with 46 sacks, 17 of which came from the interior trenches. Three starters are back: Mario Edwards Jr., Foley Fatukasi and Tim Settle. Sheldon Rankins, who totaled 7.5 sacks in 2023 with the Texans, is back after a one-year stay in Cincinnati.
If the grade was based on the growth from last season, perhaps PFF would have a point. The Texans, on paper at least, remain a 10-win team that can’t get over the hump into championship contention opposite AFC teams like Baltimore, Buffalo and Kansas City. If going strictly based on the offseason, Houston at least deserved a C.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans land with an underwhelming grade from PFF after “rocky” offseason.
Reporting by Cole Thompson, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
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