The Houston Texans are back at work, after a weekend off to recharge their batteries. They’ll head to Las Vegas this weekend, before coming home in Week 8 to play their first home game in what will be four weeks by then. It’s been a road heavy schedule, and five games that the Texans had their chances to win. They are 1-3-1, but could easily be a .500 team, or with some slightly above average quarterback play, they could be 3-2 or even 4-1.
If you divide the season into thirds, I view Weeks 7 through 12 as their own segment of the season, and then the home stretch of Weeks 13 through 18, which are flush with box office matchups, like the Browns and Cowboys. Heading into the “second third” of the season, this team certainly has more questions than answers. As of this week, what are the most burning questions facing the Texans? Glad you asked! How about these?
4. Can Christian Harris save the linebacking corps?
Harris is the team’s third round pick out of Alabama. A safety turned linebacker at Alabama, the selection of Harris was met with so much approval in the Texans’ war room, that GM Nick Caserio and head coach Lovie Smith shared an enthusiastic embrace which went viral on social media. Unfortunately, there have been no Harris-related hugs for his play thus far, as he has been dealing with a hamstring injury since the start of training camp. Harris is now back at practice, but not activated on the roster. Once he is, he becomes easily the best athlete and biggest talent in the linebacking group. Adding him to the burgeoning list of productive Texans rookies would be nice.
3. Which tight ends are left standing at the end of the season?
The tight end position has been a revolving door all season long, and that is unlikely to end in the second third of the season (or the entire rest of the season, for that matter). The Texans began the season with Brevin Jordan, Pharaoh Brown, and O.J. Howard (picked up just before Week 1) filling the tight end position. Then Jordan got hurt, the team re-signed Jordan Akins, Brown hurt his shoulder and then got cut. Yada yada yada … the Texans’ tight end group last Sunday was Howard, Akins, and Mason Schreck. Yes, the most reliable tight end has been the guy the team picked up off the scrap heap before the season. I could worry about who is left standing in this group, but instead I choose to stand on the table for the Texans to draft Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer with one of their first round picks.
2. Can Dameon Pierce shoulder this workload?
It was very evident after about five preseason carries that Pierce was, by far, the most talented running back on this team. In week 1, the Texans got cold feet, and only allowed Pierce to touch the ball 12 times. (Rex Burkhead had 19 touches, in case you want to stab yourself in the eye.) That’s changed drastically. In Week 5, Pierce had 26 carries for 99 yards. That’s workhorse level stuff. However, considering he only carried the ball around 200 times in his final TWO seasons in college, it is fair to wonder how Pierce will handle a 250-carry season in his rookie year.
1. What is going on with Davis Mills?
Mills was on his way to being a revelation over the final five games of his rookie season in 2021. In those five starts, he went 2-3, but was super efficient (102.4 passer rating) and protected the football VERY well (9 touchdowns, 2 interceptions). In five games this season, Mills’ passer rating is an abysmal 80.6, and he has become MUCH looser with the football, with 4 interceptions (against just 3 touchdowns), and a crucial sack fumble turnover in Week 1 that swung the game against the Colts. Most disturbingly, Mills looks like his default switch is set to “check down” and he is attacking downfield far less than he did at the end of last season. At this rate, he will not be the starting QB for this team in 2023.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2022.
