The Texans are not without flaws, but that’s been true in each of their five
previous seasons under O’Brien, four of which resulted in a winning record.
72
× NEW OFFENSIVE LINEMEN CREATE
NEW POSSIBILITIES. After the front five
felled this team in 2018, the Texans in-
vested a first-round pick in tackle Tytus
Howard of Alabama State
and a second-rounder in
tackle Max Scharping of
Northern Illinois. Both
these small-school line-
men are projects, but of-
fensive line coach Mike
Devlin, who quietly got
this unit to play better as
last season progressed, is a
skilled teacher. Talent will
no longer limit what this
line is capable of. True, the
rookies must make a quan-
tum leap and the interior
group is below average, but coach Bill
O’Brien no longer feels compelled to em-
ploy seven-man protections on so many
drop-backs.
× DESHAUN WATSON IMPROVES. With
an O-line he can trust more, Watson
becomes steadier in the pocket, which is
vital for any NFL QB, even a mobile one.
Watson offsets his less-than-optimal arm
strength by throwing with anticipation,
which requires that he read the field ex-
pertly. He still has a ways to go, but as he
becomes more of a pocket passer and less
of a scrambler, the game starts slowing
down for him.
× AS JADEVEON CLOWNEY GOES, SO
GOES THE TEXANS’ DEFENSE. J.J. Watt
is unequivocally Houston’s best player,
but the versatility of Clowney , who
was displeased to receive the franchise
tag and has been holding out, is the pri-
mary source of this scheme’s dimension.
Besides being a dominant run defender,
his interior pass rushing from various
standup positions defines
the Texans’ pressure con-
cepts, including their
patented five-man front.
Remove Clowney and the
defense becomes too reliant
on eighth-year end Whitney
Mercilus, who is coming off
a very quiet 2018.
× THE SECONDARY WOES
CONTINUE. It won’t be as
bad as it was in the playoff
loss to the Colts in January,
but the Texans, who employ
a lot of two-deep matchup
zones, still struggle in coverage downfield.
Corner Johnathan Joseph is 35, and his
veteran savvy cannot entirely compensate
for his diminished speed. Slot man Aaron
Colvin continues to be a disappointment
after coming over from Jacksonville in
2018 as a high-priced free agent. New
pickup Bradley Roby (one year, $10 mil-
lion) remains inconsistent—which, the
Texans come to realize, is why the Bron-
cos let their 2014 first-round pick walk.
WHAT LIES AHEAD
SI’S 2019
PREDICTION
7 – 9
2018 RECORD 11– 5
SEP T. 9
@ NO
SEP T. 15
VS. JAX
SEP T. 22
@ LAC
SEP T. 2 9
VS. CAR
OC T. 6
VS. AT L
OC T. 1 3
@ KC
OC T. 2 0
@ IND
OC T. 2 7
VS. OAK
NOV. 3
@ JAX
NOV. 10
BYE
NOV. 17
@ BAL
NOV. 21
VS. IND
DEC. 1
VS. NE
DEC. 8
VS. DEN
DEC. 15
@ TEN
DEC. 22
@ TB
DEC. 29
VS. TEN
W
ea
kn
es
s
QB
14
RB
21
WR/TE
13
OL
31
FRONT 7
3
DB
30
HOUSTON
