Houston Texans Positions of Need: 10 Places They Could Stand to Upgrade
With the Houston Texans falling short of lofty expectations in their 2010/2011 campaign, it is now playoffs or bust for Gary Kubiak and his staff.
The disappointing 6-10 finish has already claimed the jobs of numerous Texans coaches and players, without promising to spare other players who are on the fence.
The introduction of Wade Phillips and his "hybrid 3-4" defense brings with it newly glaring holes at multiple positions on the current roster. Most of the players who made up last season's incredibly terrible defense were drafted or acquired for different roles than what Phillips expects from their respective positions.
One could argue that there are needs at nearly every position on any 6-10 team, but these 10 definitely deserve to be noted as urgent.
10. A Punt Return Specialist
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Similar to his performance at receiver, Jacoby Jones has shown flashes of brilliance coupled with subsequent letdowns in his results at punt returning.
Seemingly pest-like, Jacoby just wont go away. While he doesn't excel in any one aspect of the game, Jones is just "good enough" to keep his job.
Houston fans who wanted to see Jones take Kevin Walter's job last season watched the forever-a-work-in-progress underachieve again. Giving Jacoby another chance to juggle two job responsibilities, while hoping once again that this is his year, would be simply insane.
It is time to end the Jacoby Jones saga as a multi-tool guy and let him concentrate on actually catching passes.
Trindon Holliday was actually supposed to be the guy. We will see how a new special teams coach views him as a potential return guy for the future.
Notable Options:
In house: Trindon Holliday
Draft: Jeremy Kerley, TCU, 4th round projection
9. Center
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Chris Myers had a bounce back season last year in comparison to his horrid 2009/2010 campaign that was marked by the legendary low-light of Kris Jenkins absolutely destroying Myers off of the snap.
The coaches generally love his motor and drive, but Chris has hit a ceiling when it comes to defending the larger nose tackles who line up directly over center - and he basically gets dominated.
The Texans would be doing the passing-game and Matt Schaub a service by upgrading their interior line in 2011/2012.
Notable Options:
In house: Antoine Caldwell or Shelley Smith
Draft: Tim Barnes, Missouri, 6th round projection
8. True No. 2 Wide Receiver
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Let me begin this slide by making it clear that I like Kevin Walter and Jacoby Jones on the Houston Texans roster going into the future.
What I don't like about the second receiver spot on the Texans roster today is that both players have seemed to regress when we expected someone to step up to a higher level of play and take the job last year.
If fans count on Jones or Walter to raise their production considerably, it may be cause for yet another letdown.
It is hard to find fault in the Texans passing offense, but pairing Andre Johnson with another dynamic game changer wouldn't hurt at all.
Notable Options:
In house: Dorin Dickerson
Draft: Julio Jones, 1st Rd projection, Randall Cobb, Kentucky, 2nd rd: He returns punts, which is another need I noted earlier as well.
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7. Kick Return Specialist
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Steve Slaton is by no means a kick return specialist.
The Houston Texans, leaning heavily on Andre Davis and Jacoby Jones in past years, looked to Slaton to handle kickoff duty largely in response to Steve losing his starting RB job to Arian Foster.
With seemingly no carries left after Derrick Ward snatched up his share as backup, Steve looked to gain back his coaches confidence through big plays in the return game.
But those plays never came.
Steve Slaton is a sufficient guy if you don't mind average field position, but there is no valid argument against having a dynamic game-changer who puts you closer to the end-zone.
Notable Options:
In house: Sherrick McManis, Trindon Holliday
Draft: Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa, 7th round projection
6. Punter
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Ranked 25th in the league with an average punting distance of 42.1 yards and ranked 21st in the NFL with a net average of 36.8 yards per punt, Matt Turk officially wore out his welcome with the Texans in 2010.
Turk was at the bottom of the proverbial punting barrel statistically throughout the last season. Coupled with the team's abysmal return game, Matt Turk's poor performances helped set the tone in most of the Houston Texans losses.
Notable Options:
In house: None
Draft: None—An undrafted free agent should get this gig next season.
5. Cornerback
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The Texans have a real need for each position in the secondary.
Last year, Kareem Jackson and the NFL met in a devastatingly brutal way. Glover Quin and Brice McCain regressed in their sophomore seasons, and the defensive backs as a whole proved to be the weakest link on a team that endured a season full of botched assignments and wide open opponents.
With no leader to speak of, and so much youth in the locker room already, the Texans should address most of these acquisitions through free agency once the labor dispute is over.
Notable Options:
In house: Plenty of nickel backs and a real lack of experience
Draft: The only two guys who could make an immediate impact through the draft are Patrick Peterson and Prince Amukamara, the latter who might slide to 11th in the draft. If so, Prince should be a serious consideration to clean up the mess that Kareem Jackson left on the field from last year.
Free Agency is essentially nonexistent until the NFL Labor Agreement is resolved. Considering the results could impact who is available and how much is to be spent, there isn't a real list of guys out there. It is unfortunate for Rick Smith and company. They are going to have to be creative and proactive during the offseason.
4. Free Safety
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The Houston Texans depth chart lists Troy Nolan as the only free safety worth mentioning.
While Nolan has a knack for getting to the ball and making bang-bang plays, he also finds himself out of position regularly, takes irrational risks, and alligator arms balls he should intercept.
Sadly, Troy was a pleasant surprise in the Texans secondary last year! Imagine life in Houston's secondary without Troy Nolan.
Yikes!
Having now praised Nolan for what positives he did show last year, the man simply needs help. Another talented safety pushing him for playing time might be all that Troy Nolan needs to blossom. Also, no team should be caught dead with only one guy at any position entering a season.
Notable Options:
In house: Some see Glover Quin as an option. Of course, if this shift were made the team is left with a hole at CB. I would be welcome to working Quin in at safety during preseason.
Draft: Quinton Carter, OU, 3rd round projection
3. A Pass Rushing Linebacker
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Initially, when I think of switching to the 3-4 defense, I am picturing that iconic outside linebacker who feasts on the quarterback. I picture quick, standing, wiry specialists who reserve a special gear to make plays and wreak havoc.
Will Mario Williams play any snaps at linebacker? Will Connor Barwin recover and find his pre-injury form? Will Brian Cushing play inside or out? It is dependent upon these answers that will dictate how the Texans address the switch.
I think that Mario Williams will have some time "freelancing" on the edge. I think Connor Barwin is capable of starting when healthy. My personal opinion is that Cushing should stay inside, but participate in exotic blitz packages that bounce him outside to rush.
Still, in a perfect world where everyone on the roster is mobile, the Texans still need a real 3-4 pass rushing OLB. The draft is so loaded with linebackers, this should be their first pick providing nobody slides into our lap unexpectedly.
Notable Options:
In house: Connor Barwin and Brian Cushing are the wild-cards with a shot at starting.
Draft: Most mock drafts have the Texans selecting an OLB with the 11th pick. Guys slotted there are Von Miller, Aldon Smith, and Robert Quinn. Who is remaining will directly relate to how many quarterbacks and receivers are taken before Houston picks.
Fans should hope that Julio Jones and Cam Newton are already off of the board, leaving pass rushers to slide into reach.
2. Strong Safety
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Bernard Pollard came to Houston and was sent away from the Chiefs in a seemingly inexplicable roster cut. We the fans happily accepted him into our graces, loving his willingness to produce a quote and tenacity on the field.
The honeymoon is over now, and Bernard has experienced a similar fate in Houston.
The hits fans used to love were few and far between, while Pollard was the most-torched player in the Texans secondary. Pollard was told that strong safety in Wade Phillips scheme is more of a back-end pass defender, and his talents do not fit the plan. With Quinton Demps as the listed starter, Houston has a glaring need at strong safety.
Notable Options:
In house: No one. Bernard Pollard was not only the leader of this secondary, he was the starter at SS nearly every snap.
Draft: Tyler Sash, Iowa, 3rd rd projection, Mark Barron, Alabama, 2nd round projection
1. Nose Tackle
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Wade Phillips will tell you that he has done well with smaller tackles in the past because they don't play directly over center like traditional 3-4's would, but he would be lying if he said that he wouldn't feel more comfortable putting a beast in the middle who can get into the pocket with sheer strength alone.
As the saying goes, football wars are won in the trenches. The Texans will get nowhere playing a 3-4, hybrid or not, with Amobi Okoye and Shaun Cody lining up at tackle. Acquiring a prototypical 3-4 nose is essential to the Houston Texans success.
Notable Options:
In house: Earl Mitchell is another guy who got a lot of playing time, but is undersized and more suited for a 4-3.
Draft: Hope that Phil Taylor, Baylor, projected 1st or 2nd rounder slides to the mid 2nd round so Houston can scoop him up.
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