The Houston Texans have been beneficiaries of the unlikely through the first six weeks of 2023.
Normally rookie quarterbacks have learning curves they must negotiate as they acclimate to the pro game. C.J. Stroud has hit the ground running and ranks eighth in the NFL among qualifiers with a 96.4 passer rating.
Similarly challenges to a team’s depth can curtail any progress and mar a record, rendering a team fighting uphill the rest of the season. Instead the Texans have dealt with injuries to the offensive line and secondary adeptly as the club collected a 3-3 record going into the bye week.
“I think what we’ve tried to do is just build up as much depth across the roster as much as possible, understanding that we’re probably going to need everybody at some point,” general manager Nick Caserio said Oct. 17. “You really don’t know when. We probably were hit harder at some positions relative to others, from training camp and through the early part of the season, which was I’d say the fall process and some of the players that we did there around the cut and right before the end of training camp there.”
Houston was ready for attrition in the secondary with waves of defensive backs. As snaps were lost from cornerbacks Derek Stingley, Tavierre Thomas, safeties Jimmie Ward, and Jalen Pitre, the Texans were able to count on Shaquill Griffin, Grayland Arnold, and Eric Murray to fill their roles.
The offensive line was more nuanced as Houston lost two of its starting center prospects, starting left guard, and starting tackles. For a team hoping to field Laremy Tunsil, Kenyon Green, Juice Scruggs, and Tytus Howard, the Texans went with Josh Jones, Kendrick Green, Jarrett Patterson, and George Fant by Week 4.
Somehow Stroud managed to stay upright, and the Texans are in the thick of the AFC South race as they are a game out from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“Can’t feel sorry for yourself,” said Caserio. “You just have to embrace the challenge and just try to come up with solutions. Our job is to fix problems and find solutions. Sometimes it’s players, sometimes it’s scheme. There’s a myriad of things that could possibly come up. I think the players that we’ve brought in, we brought them in because we thought they could help us, and maybe some have played maybe a little bit more than others, but that’s the NFL.”
Houston gets back in action Oct. 29 in Week 8 at the Carolina Panthers.