While there was some speculation that general manager Nick Caserio may depart the Houston Texans once the 2023 NFL Draft concluded, he retained his position and seemingly will continue to be employed alongside coach DeMeco Ryans after what's been a shocking turnaround season.
Pro Football Focus recently ranked all 32 NFL general managers into tiers, with Caserio being grouped into "Tier 3," which is described as "questionable process, varying results." That would seem to be a fair way to describe the job that Caserio -- hired in in January of 2021 -- has done thus far.
"Caserio inherited a nightmarish situation and failed to bring much stability early on, hiring three head coaches in his first three years as a general manager," PFF wrote. "He looks to have hit a home run by bringing former Texans linebacker DeMeco Ryans back as the head coach."
It's difficult to know what to make of Caserio hiring three coaches in three years. Was that his doing, or was hiring/moving on from David Culley and Lovie Smith the influence of owner Bob McNair and former executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby? In any event, the third time appears to have been the charm with Ryans.
Additionally, having to navigate through former franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson requesting a trade before more than 20 women came forward with accusations of sexual misconduct against him was hardly an enviable task. Caserio deserves credit for getting back three first-round picks, a 2023 third-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick.
Caserio's draft record to this point is a mixed bag. Using the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. looks like a questionable decision thus far, as does taking offensive guard Kenyon Green 12 picks later, with both having struggled to stay on the field early in their careers. At the same time, receiver Tank Dell was a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and looks like a budding star. Safety Jalen Pitre, taken in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, appears to be a stalwart for the franchise. Pass rusher Will Anderson has a 78.1 grade so far from PFF in his rookie season, which certainly means he's made a positive impact, even if he hasn't been a superstar. And most importantly, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is the heavy favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, and is even a dark-horse MVP candidate.
We may never know exactly how much influence Caserio has had on some of the moves made during his tenure, or whether some combination of McNair, Easterby and Ryans have been the point people. But even if it's taken a winding path, Caserio has been part of getting one of the most dysfunctional franchises in sports back on track.
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