The Biggest Hole On The Texans’ Roster

Games aren’t won in February, March, April, or May. Teams aren’t completely built in February, March, April, or May. The big wave of free agency has been over for a little more than a month as teams shifted their focus to the 2020 NFL Draft. Now that the draft is over, teams know exactly what needs they still have and what holes remain on the roster. They will use this time to call up free agent stragglers.

Football Outsiders, through ESPN, wrote about each team’s remaining needs. You can read the entire article here. This is what they had to say about the Houston Texans.

Houston Texans: Edge rusher

The trade of Jadeveon Clowney last season and another major injury to J.J. Watt meant that the Texans’ pass rush, formerly the strength of their defense, struggled in 2019. Whitney Mercilus has proved to be a fine ancillary rusher, but he is overmatched as the focus of the pass protection: Of his 7.5 sacks, 5.5 came in Weeks 1-9, with Watt still healthy, but in his seven games after Watt was lost for the regular season, his only sacks came in Week 16 against the collapsing Jaguars.

Watt’s injury history suggests that the team needs a more reliable stable of rushers to combine with Mercilus, but a lack of draft capital meant that the Texans spent only a single third-round pick at the position, for Jonathan Greenard of Florida. Clowney is still a free agent, but absolutely nothing suggests that he is considering a return to Houston. That leaves the team hoping against hope for Watt’s second healthy season in five years, for Greenard to take the league by storm or for somebody else to make a significant leap into a starting role.

Do you agree? Or do you think Watt, Mercilus, Jacob Martin, Brennan Scarlett, and Jonathan Greenard is good enough for the Texans in 2020?