Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio is not taking it easy after his team's unexpected success last season. He is making bold moves and signaling to the Tennessee Titans and the AFC South that his team is determined to defend their division title.
Around this time last year, the Texans had hired their third head coach in as many offseasons. Expectations were low after 11 wins in three years.
But DeMeco Ryans and the offensive and defensive rookies of the year — C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson — would inspire a turnaround.
This week, in the first days of the new NFL calendar year, the Texans are maintaining that momentum. They have added seven free agents on defense alone, including two of the Titans' best defenders.
The biggest splash is former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter, a four-time Pro Bowler with 87.5 career sacks in 90 games. The expectation is that Hunter can elevate a defense that set a franchise record in sacks and already has Will Anderson.
"Man, I was really excited," Anderson said via houstontexans.com. "I wanted someone who was going to be opposite of me that teams had to fear too."
Getting Hunter means the Texans could absorb two significant free-agent departures: their 2023 leader in sacks (Jonathan Greenard) and their leading tackler (linebacker Blake Cashman).
Enter Tennessee's leader in sacks, Denico Autry, and its leading tackler, Azeez Al-Shaair.
On offense, Houston re-signed tight end Dalton Schultz, who recorded 635 receiving yards and five touchdowns as a reliable target for Stroud. The Texans also traded for running back Joe Mixon, a 2021 Pro Bowler who totaled 8,551 rushing and receiving yards in seven seasons with the Bengals.
Last season, the Texans went 10-7 during the regular season and routed the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Their season ended with a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round.
Caserio knows the league can change quickly and he is fighting to keep the Texans at the top of the AFC South that his getting better by the moment.
"Yeah, I think the big thing with this whole spring is just try to improve the team. Build the team, improve the team," Caserio said during the 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. "We have certain areas and certain players on our roster that made significant contributions. Happy they're on our team. But the big thing DeMeco [Ryans] and I have talked about on a consistent basis is just trying to build as deep and consistent a roster top to bottom."
Here are all of the Texans' moves this past week as reported by NFL.com:
- Edge Danielle Hunter, two-year, $49 million deal that has a max value of $51 million and includes $48 million fully guaranteed.
- RB Joe Mixon, acquired in trade with the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for a seventh-round pick (No. 224).
- TE Dalton Schultz, re-signed to a three-year, $36 million deal.
- DL Denico Autry, two-year, $20 million deal that includes $10.5 million guaranteed.
- DL Tim Settle, two-year contract worth up to $7 million.
- LB Azeez Al-Shaair, three-year, $34 million deal.
- CB Mike Ford, two-year deal worth $4.5 million.
- CB Lonnie Johnson, one-year contract.
- CB Desmond King II, re-signed with the Texans.
- CB Jeff Okudah, one-year, $4.25 million deal that's worth up to $6 million.
- S Eric Murray, re-signed with the Texans.
- K Ka'imi Fairbairn, re-signed on a three-year, $15.9 million extension.
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