Three hottest seats on the Houston Texans

The Houston Texans aim to establish a winning culture under new HC DeMeco Ryans, who has been widely praised as an excellent hire. The man who hired him and two players on offense, however, sit on the hottest seats on the team.

1. General manager Nick Caserio

Since Caserio took over as GM in 2021, the Texans have hired three head coaches and own the worst record in the NFL (7-26-1), per StatMuse. Should there be a need to hire another HC anytime soon, Caserio won't be hiring his fourth. 

Caserio has the third-most cap space, per OverTheCap, but it might may make sense to preserve it because Houston isn't considered a free-agent hot spot. 

The 2023 NFL Draft will be the three most important days of Houston's offseason. The Texans have 11 draft picks, including two first-round picks (Nos. 2 and 12). With a crop of talented quarterbacks in the class, they can find their franchise QB and add another impactful piece in the first round. 

2. Guard Kenyon Green 

In last year's draft, Houston also had two first-round picks, one of which was used to select promising cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and the other to take Green, who struggled. 

A lineman's transition to the NFL can be challenging, perhaps even more so for Green, who played all positions on the line except center at Texas A&M. Even so, the rookie's performance wasn't encouraging.

Green allowed four sacks last season, and the 47 pressures he allowed were the fourth most by a guard. The 12 penalties he committed ranked second among players at the position, adding to his pass-blocking difficulties. His 37.7 Pro Football Focus grade was the lowest of all qualified guards. 

3. Wide Receiver Brandin Cooks

One of the worst-kept secrets in the NFL is Cooks' desire to leave Houston, but his contract makes that difficult. Despite the Texans attempts to trade Cooks at the trade deadline, no team wanted him because he's guaranteed $18 million in 2023, the fifth-highest base salary among wide receivers. 

Releasing Cooks doesn't seem likely, as he would carry a $34.2 million dead cap hit before June 1. If the Texans cut him after June 1, his dead cap hit will be $26.1 million, making a trade seem likely.

It wouldn't be a surprise if Cooks gets traded on Day 2 or 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft, provided the Texans are willing to cover a portion of his salary. It would cost $16.2 million in dead money at that time. 

If the Texans don't find a way to trade or release Cooks, he'd have an $8.1 million dead cap hit if they cut him next offseason.