The Houston Texans have a solid defense, but it can certainly stand to improve.
The Texans ranked 14th in yards allowed and 11th in scoring defense this past season, putting them a bit above average as a defensive unit as a whole.
That’s decent, but given the competition in the AFC, it may not be enough to get Houston over the hump against teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens in 2024.
Fortunately, the Texans boast expansive cap room heading into free agency, so they should be able to make some rooms to shore up their defense.
Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus thinks Houston could snare one of the top defensive players set to hit the market, naming the Texans a fit for Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen.
Queen is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he played every game and racked up 133 tackles, 3.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and six passes defended en route to his first Pro Bowl appearance. He also earned a Second-Team All-Pro selection.
The 24-year-old, who played his collegiate football at LSU, was selected by Baltimore with the 28th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.
While some labeled Queen a disappointment throughout much of his tenure with the Ravens, it’s hard to ignore just how versatile and durable Queen has been.
The Ventress, La. native can play all over the field and has also never missed a game since entering the league four years ago.
He has displayed the ability to both stuff the run and rush the passer, and he is also impressive in coverage, having totaled four picks and 15 passes defender over the course of his rather young NFL career.
Queen would be a welcome addition to Houston’s defense.
We’ll see if the Texans choose to pay up for him later this month.
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