Gathering the Battle Red Blog writers to predict the Texans record and Pro Bowlers.
The season is upon us! The roster is set, the players are in the building, and the Colts are on deck. It’s been most exciting offseason ever for the Houston Texans. From a strong draft class to a phenomenal free agency period, the Texans are primed to make a run. The excitement is bubbling, which led us to the Groupthink question:
Give me your seasons predictions! What will their record be and who will make the pro bowl
VBallRetired:
Okay, I’ll go 11-6 out of the gate fresh with another AFC South title. I don’t think the final record will be an indication of how much this team has improved. This schedule is much more challenging on paper so an extra tough loss or two is baked into that 11-6 record. In terms of Pro Bowls I’ll go Hunter and Stingley on defense with Tunsil and Stroud making it on offense. I think there could be as many as four or five additional “alternates” as some guys always drop out of that thing.
L4blitzer:
It is possible for the Texans to be a better team than last season, but still finish with the same or slightly worse record. The big reasons: that schedule, which has brutality written all over it, especially those 10 Days in December, and the burden of higher expectations, which this team has not faced in a long time. So, record-wise, I’ll go with 10-7, but with a wide window of plus-or-minus 3. If the team gets injured, the young stars from last season regress and the schedule is too much, a losing record is in play. Yet, if the team plays to its potential, avoids the big injuries and is not overwhelmed by the schedule, a high seed and deep playoff are in the Texans’ future.
As for any Pro-Bowlers, Hunter and Tunsil seem like the safest bets. Stroud and Anderson, if they avoid the sophomore slump, are strong candidates. Perhaps Stingley, Diggs and/or Collins are also in play. Wouldn’t rule out Fairbarin or Townsend either.
Kenneth.L:
I’ll go with 11-6. I think there will be a stretch of games where the offense struggles against top tier opponents. I couldn’t be more excited about the team from top to bottom. There are certainly weaknesses on defense, especially with Christian Harris out for several games. The lack of star power on the interior of the defensive line will be a concern. I trust in Caserio to add mid-season contributors as that’s been one of his calling cards thus far.
The offense is the key. Even if the defense is mid-tier, the offense has the capability to dominate and be diverse in its approach. I’m anticipating Joe Mixon to have a strong season behind a rejuvenated offensive line, but it will be interesting to see how the team divvies up running the ball between four/five RBs.
Pro-Bowlers. Tunsil is the only true lock. I’ll include Azeez Al-Shaair who could have a career season, and C.J. Stroud. Outside of that Hunter has a chance but feels like someone who could be snubbed year in and year out.
Patrick.H
I’m going to take a flyer and say 12-5 will be the Texans record this season and just miss out on the first seed in the playoffs. As for Pro Bowlers, I’ll go with C.J. Stroud, Tank Dell, and Laremy Tunsil on offense, Derek Stingley, Danielle Hunter, Kamari Lassiter, and Will Anderson on defense.
FizzyJoe
I am ALL IN on this season! This might be the best Houston Texans roster ever assembled. I was deeply invested in the prospect of the Houston Texans taking CJ Stroud 2nd overall last year, and he delivered so soundly, so completely on my enormous expectations that it’s encouraged me to go even further with my prediction this year: this is a Super Bowl team.
Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Stefon Diggs make for a canvas of options for CJ Stroud, who’s a bona-fide MVP contender coming into his second seaosn. Gs Kenyon Green, Kendrick Green and Ts Nick Broeker and Blake Fisher make for a more complete and capable O-Line depth, behind established stars Tunsil and Mason. This won’t just help Stroud, but it’ll help improve Houston’s run game! RB Joe Mixon is going to be at minimum a 750-yards or more rusher, not including his benefit in the passing game. On a Super Bowl team, Joe Mixon is a pro-bowler.
And I haven’t even talked about the defense, yet! Houston’s defense was underrated last year, and since then has reloaded at all three levels: adding DE Danielle Hunter, who replaces Jonathan Greenard, LB Azeez Al-Shaair replacing Blake Cashman, and rookie CB Kamari Lassiter replacing the retired Steven Nelson. In my view, Caserio has successfully filled the holes left from free agency, which will perfectly compliment DE Will Anderson Jr. and CB Derek Stingley as they (hopefully) enter their prime in sync this 2024 season.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such a complete starting lineup in football. Well, having a starting rookie cornerback is not ideal, but it’s hard to find any NFL team that isn’t counting on a rookie somewhere on their team, and Lassiter has turned heads all training camp long. If 2023 taught us anything, it’s to trust the young guys.
So, I think this is a 12-5 or 13-4 team. They’re fully capable of making a deep playoff run – even making or winning the Super Bowl – as long as they stay healthy. (edited)
Pro bowlers: QB CJ Stroud RB Joe Mixon WR Stefon Diggs WR Nico Collins OT Laremy Tunsil OG Shaq Mason DE Will Anderson Jr. DE Danielle Hunter LB Azeez Al-Shaair CB Derek Stingley Jr.