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The Houston Texans have had nothing short of a busy offseason.
Offensively, the Texans have gone under a vast overhaul around C.J. Stroud, whether you look at his new offensive coordinator in Nick Caley, a fresh batch of veteran and young receivers alongside Nico Collins, and perhaps the biggest storyline of this offseason, a wide range of changes upfront on the offensive line. A few interesting moves were also made on the defensive side with the addition of names like C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Sheldon Rankins.
Compared to a few months ago, this group has seen many steps in the right direction. Yet, through the motions of this wild Texans' offseason, will it be enough to take that next step as a top-end contender in the AFC?
In the eyes of ESPN analyst Ben Solak, it could definitely be in play.
Solak broke down a bit of what he sees from the Texans heading into the 2025 season, buying Houston over other strong AFC talents like the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers.
"The Texans have made consecutive AFC divisional rounds, but we don't talk about them like we talk about the Ravens or Bills," Solak wrote. "I think that's wrong. The Texans' defense can get burned in its aggressive style (see: all games against Lamar Jackson), but over the past two seasons, it has shown up in key postseason moments and against top opponents more often than not. The Texans' offense disappointed last season, but the potential for an immediate bounce-back is there under a new coaching staff. ESPN BET has the Texans with the sixth-best odds to win the AFC. They're behind the Bengals and Chargers, which just doesn't reflect the reality of those three teams over the past few seasons. I'm buying Houston."
The Texans, while not in the same conversations with teams like the Buffalo Bills or Baltimore Ravens, have the pieces in play to elevate there as soon as next season. With young stars lining up at quarterback, wide receiver, edge rusher, and corner, the foundation is there to progress into one of the more consistent and dominant talents in the AFC.
Though a solid base to build on, this Houston team's ceiling for the coming season likely relies on how well and quickly the surrounding pieces of this roster can gel, whether it be in the offensive trenches, Stroud's new weapons, or the various veterans added on the defensive end.
If the Texans' playcalling can straighten out and the offensive line falls back into place, Stroud has the tools ready to return to similar levels we saw during his rookie campaign–– potentially making this offense one of the most potent and dangerous for the 2025 season ahead.
More must-reads:
- Bengals' Zac Taylor explains shocking Joe Flacco move for Packers game
- Lions CB Terrion Arnold to return 'sooner than expected'
- The 'Most NFL QB two-rushing-TD games' quiz
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Cowboys list 18 players on their injury report but a couple of names steal the spotlight as their return appears very likely
The Dallas Cowboys just revealed their first injury report of Week 6 on Wednesday and it's a long one. The team listed 18 players on it ahead of their matchup against the Carolina Panthers, five of which were non-participants while 10 were limited. The remaining three players on the report were listed as full participants. Two of latter stole the spotlight amid the bitter updates as their "full" participation means they're close to making their 2025 debut very soon: Cornerback Caelen Carson and wide receiver Jonathan Mingo. Neither of the them are currently on the 53-man roster but the Cowboys activated their 21-day practice window last week. Carson and Mingo were limited participants in each of last week's practices. To be upgraded to full on the first practice of the week is a promising sign for their chances of playing against the Panthers. The coaching staff would need to open up roster spots to place them on the 53-man roster. Other notes on Cowboys' initial injury report for Week 6 CeeDee Lamb was a non-participant once again as his chances of playing Week 6 remain up in the air. KaVontae Turpin also missed practice and told reporters he wasn't expecting to play. Right guard Tyler Booker also missed practice. The new additions to the non-participants were LB Jack Sanborn (concussion) and S Donovan Wilson (elbow/knee). Safety is starting to look like a serious concern. Malik Hooker was placed on Injured Reserve last weekend and now Wilson missed practice while Juanyeh Thomas popped up on the injury report as a limited participant. Other starters that were limited participants: CB Trevon Diggs, CB DaRon Bland, OT Tyler Guyton, LG Tyler Smith. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer suggested Guyton will start at left tackle if cleared. Thursday's full Cowboys' injury report window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-375').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-375').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*');
North Carolina reportedly considering nuclear option with Bill Belichick, and that's justified
Bengals QB Jake Browning angry about being benched for Joe Flacco, but team had no choice
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning has officially been benched, and he is not taking it lightly. Browning has started the last three games for the Bengals in the wake of a toe injury that Joe Burrow suffered in Week 2. After going 0-3 in those games, the Bengals decided to acquire Joe Flacco in a trade with the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor announced on Wednesday that Flacco will start in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers. That means the new guy is taking Browning's job right away, which is hardly a surprise. Jake Browning is not happy about losing his job Browning spoke with reporters shortly after Taylor revealed that Flacco will start in Green Bay. The 29-year-old quarterback said the situation "sucks" but that he understands how the business of the NFL works. "I think it sucks but, like I said, everyone's in the middle of a season. I think, 'Welcome to pro football,'" Browning said. "If you don't play well, you're gonna get replaced, and that's what I'm going through." Browning also admitted he is angry over being benched. Though, he said he is not willing to shoulder the blame for everything that has gone wrong for Cincinnati since Burrow went down. "For me, I'm trying to respond the right way. Obviously, I'm pi--ed. If I wasn't pi--ed, then I shouldn't be in this locker room," Browning added. "I'm aware of the role I played in the offensive struggles over the last few weeks, but I'm also not shouldering the entire situation. I went through yesterday, watched my throws, tried to come up with some stuff I want to work on, and just doing that." Zac Taylor had no choice but to make a switch Browning threw three interceptions in Cincinnati's 37-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. He completed 26 of 40 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns as well, but anything positive that the veteran did came when the game was essentially out of hand. In his two starts prior to the Lions loss, Browning threw for a total of 265 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The Bengals scored 13 points in the two games combined. Ja'Marr Chase looked extremely frustrated at times and even had a heated exchange with Taylor on the sideline. Taylor had been facing tremendous pressure from fans to make a quarterback change. It would not be a surprise if Cincinnati's front office and some players expressed a desire for Browning to be benched, as well.
Is it time for the Chiefs to part ways with Harrison Butker?
For the past eight seasons, Kansas City Chiefs' Harrison Butker has been one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL. According to Pro Football Reference, his career FG percentage (.880) ranks third among active kickers, trailing only Cameron Dicker (.943) and Eddy Piñeiro (.891). In an injury-shortened 2024 season, Butker missed six kicks total (four field goals, two PATs). But after only five games in 2025, he has already missed five (Three field goals, two PATs). What is most unsettling is that every game so far this season has been sullied by some sort of miss or mistake by Butker. For a kicker with his history, this sudden dalliance with inaccuracy is alarming. After a boneheaded out-of-bounds kickoff in Jacksonville that gifted the Jaguars a head start in their game-winning drive, social media was set ablaze by fans trolling Butker for his blunder, with many demanding his dismissal. Chiefs' coaching staff discusses Harrison Butker's struggles But the Kansas City coaching staff seems unfazed. According to Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports, Chiefs' special teams coach Dave Toub addressed Butker's recent troubles, vowing to work through them. "We're going to keep working...obviously, we don't like misses," he said. "We're going to keep working to see if we can get more consistency. In a little bit of a struggle right now, everybody can see it, but we're going to keep working." Chiefs head coach Andy Reid echoed Toub's point of view, shrugging off Butker's travails with a golf analogy. “Yeah, I think, like any golfer, right? You guys have all golfed, and sometimes you’re hitting it good, and other times it’s off, but you work through it,” Reid explained. “You keep swinging, man. And he’ll do that. He’s a talented kid, tough, mentally tough. I’m not really worried about him.” To be fair, Butker has not yet missed a kick that has cost the Chiefs a game, at least not directly, so unless (or until) that happens, and with votes of confidence from coaches Toub and Reid, his status as the Chiefs' placekicker appears to be safe, at least for now. With 12 regular-season games remaining, he will likely have multiple opportunities to redeem himself and prove that this rough patch is an anomaly, rather than evidence of an irreversible decline. For their part, Chiefs Kingdom will just have to be patient and see how the season plays out.
LeBron James & Steve Nash Send Strong Message to Adam Silver Over Long-Standing Kawhi Leonard Issue
Steelers Worked Out Two Linebackers, Including Isaiah Simmons
The Pittsburgh Steelers tried out two linebackers, including Michael Barrett and Isaiah Simmons, per the NFL Transactions wire. Simmons, 27, was a two-year starter at Clemson and won the Butkus Award as college football’s best linebacker in 2019. The Cardinals used the No. 8 overall pick in the 2019 draft on him. Simmons signed a four-year, $20,664,055 rookie contract that includes a $12,588,404 signing bonus. Arizona wound up trading him to the Giants in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick. He was testing the market as an unrestricted free agent after the Cardinals declined his fifth-year option in May 2023, and he opted to remain in New York on a one-year deal. Simmons then signed with Green Bay this offseason but cut him loose at the end of August. In 2024, Simmons appeared in all 17 games for the Giants and made one start. He recorded 21 tackles and one forced fumble.
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