Over the last two very depressing seasons of Houston Texans football, one of the MOST depressing things would occur on my walk through the NRG Stadium concourse, very early on game day mornings at home games on my way to our stage for the pregame show in Bud Light Plaza. It was on that stroll that I would walk past the small team store kiosk, where fans can purchase replicas of their favorite players’ jerseys.
In 2019, the stroll was far more encouraging, as the jerseys were those of players like Deshaun Watson (pre lawsuits), DeAndre Hopkins, and J.J. Watt. In 2020, COVID kept our pregame coverage away from the stadium altogether. In 2021, the bottom fell out of the organization and the jerseys the team was marketing to fans were some combination of Hopkins-trade-throw-in David Johnson, malcontent Zach Cunningham, and washed up Whitney Mercilus.
THAT is depressing. In 2022, it wasn’t much better, as the team was still so bereft of talent they were force feeding us Nico Collins and Jonathan Greenard jerseys. I’m here to tell you, though, with the DeMeco Ryans Era underway, and two consecutive drafts full of intriguing young talent, we may actually see fans wearing jerseys worth purchasing.
If I had to guess, here is my unscientific prediction of whose jerseys will be most prevalent in the stadium at home games this season:
HONORABLE MENTION: RETRO JERSEYS
Just to finish the story on the sad parade of jerseys the last two seasons — well, nobody bought Greenard jerseys or David Johnson jerseys. Nobody. Instead, we saw a slew of Watt, Andre Johnson, and yes, even Deshaun Watson jerseys. I suspect we will still get healthy smattering of those (hopefully the former two, and not the latter notorious massage patient).
7. DEMECO RYANS
Hell yes! The one former player who will see huge uptick in jersey presence in 2023 will be the Texans’ new head coach! I am hoping it’s the traditional number 59 jerseys with “RYANS” on the back, not the one they were selling right after the hire with “COACH” on the back.
6. JOHN METCHIE III
Metchie was part of the 2022 draft class, but has yet to play a down for the Texans, as he spent last season undergoing treatment for leukemia. Now, Metchie has been cleared to resume his career, and reportedly, he has looked in fantastic shape. I could see his jersey being very popular, especially for folks who have been through similar medical adversity.
5. DEREK 5TINGLEY, Jr.
Stingley was the one rookie in 2022 whose jersey was pushed hard in the team store. The third overall pick in the draft had a strange rookie season, in which he flashed some of the potential the Texans saw when they drafted him, but more often, he was poorly utilized by Lovie Smith in a soft zone scheme, and needed the season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
4. DAMEON PIERCE
By the end of the season, Pierce, a fourth round pick in 2022 and the team’s best offensive player last season, was the face of the team, front and center on all of the season ticket sales collateral. With a new quarterback in the building, that changes immediately.
3. JALEN PITRE
At the draft party a couple weeks ago, Pitre’s jersey was, by my completely unscientific observation and count, far and away the most popular among current players. It stands to reason, as he was the team’s most impactful defensive rookie, and he has local ties having played high school at Stafford High School and played his college ball at Baylor.
2. WILL ANDERSON, Jr.
1. C.J. STROUD
The two rookies that were part of the most important ten minute sequence for the Texans in NFL Draft history will be at the heart of all the marketing and ethos of this team moving forward, with Stroud hopefully seizing the “face of the franchise” designation, and Anderson becoming the tone setter on defense for the next decade.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
