Houston Texans Offense Skill Depth Chart Preview
The Houston Texans were firmly planted in the middle of the road last season compared to the rest of the NFL, but they seem to be on the upswing.
With Arian Foster back and healthy, the Texans’ offense was completely different and they were obviously more dynamic, even with a wide variety of struggles at the quarterback position. This season, Houston is going to be going through yet another change at the QB spot, and it will be the first time since the franchise’s second year of existence that Andre Johnson will not be in uniform.
To make matters worse, he’ll be wearing enemy colors with the Indianapolis Colts.
With the team in a period of transition at the QB position, you can expect possibly some minor improvements from Houston overall this season, but let’s take a look at the rest of the skill positions and how they have upgraded this offseason.
Quarterback
Brian Hoyer was brought in from Cleveland this offseason as someone who is familiar with Bill O’Brien’s offense dating back to his days with the New England Patriots. Hoyer is one of those quarterbacks that coaches can use the old ‘he gives us the best chance to win’ excuse while they try and find the next guy to take over long-term.
That said, Hoyer hasn’t been overly effective dating back to last season, completing under 56 percent of his passes and turning the ball over more times than he puts it in the end zone.
Hoyer’s main competition will come from Ryan Mallett, another former Patriots quarterback that came to the Texans in a trade. Mallett is certainly more talented than than Hoyer but we’ve yet to really see it for any extended period on the field. In limited action, Mallett was a mixed bag last year with a phenomenal game against the Browns and a pretty poor outing against the Bengals. He should have every opportunity to win the starting job in 2015.
The Texans also have 2014 fourth round pick Tom Savage still on the roster, and he showed some upside in last year’s pre-season games. He was a late riser in the pre-draft process last season, so maybe he can surprise some people in camp and also contend for the starting gig.
Running Back
The alpha and omega of this position for Houston is Arian Foster, one of the most valuable players in the league, apparently. The Texans were a (last place in the NFL) mess without Foster healthy or in the lineup. He had a total of 13 touchdowns last season (8 rushing, 5 receiving) and proved after an injury-riddled season he could still be a big time featured back.
Dec 21, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (23) rushes during the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at NRG Stadium. The Texans defeated the Ravens 25-13. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Foster will again be the lead back, and there will be a fight for carries behind him between Alfred Blue, Chris Polk, and rookie Kenny Hilliard.
As a rookie out of LSU, Blue averaged barely over three yards per carry, and didn’t really inspire much confidence as a full-time backup moving forward in my opinion. Polk vultured four rushing touchdowns from LeSean McCoy in Philadelphia, but also didn’t average four yards per carry.
The backs behind Foster aren’t overly inspiring at this point, but the Texans seem content with this unit as it is.
Wide Receiver
DeAndre Hopkins is a budding star in this league, and the Texans felt good enough about his development this past year to let go of Andre Johnson.
Nov 30, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) runs after a reception against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Hopkins averaged almost 16 yards per catch last season and finished with six touchdowns, but he could be in line for huge numbers in 2015. Coming into his third season and at just 23 years of age, the future for Hopkins is extremely bright.
He’ll be flanked by veteran free agent addition Cecil Shorts III, who struggled through injuries last year after carving a really nice role for himself with the Jaguars. The Texans hope he can be more like the 2012 version, which caught seven touchdowns and averaged nearly 18 yards a catch.
Jaelen Strong was added in the third round of the draft after some people thought he could be picked in the first round. There were some comparisons to Keenan Allen of the San Diego Chargers with Strong’s game, but no doubt, the Texans got a phenomenal value in the draft with this guy and he should be able to make an impact right away.
Veteran Nate Washington was brought in over the offseason to give the Texans a nice pair of former AFC South rivals and a solid veteran option along with Keshawn Martin to give the Texans some depth at the position.
Damaris Johnson and fifth round pick out of Michigan State Keith Mumphrey give the Texans some addition weapons at the position.
Tight End
With only four catches last season, this year is the year I would love to see C.J. Fiedorowicz emerge and snag the role at the Texans’ number one tight end. He’s a dynamic playmaker and a heck of a blocker, a true complete player at the position with great size. The Texans can be a much scarier offense if the light bulb goes on for the second year player out of Iowa.
Dec 21, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz (87) during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Garrett Graham is still around, but he had just 18 catches last season after 49 the year prior. He also played in just 11 games in 2014.
Ryan Griffin gives the Texans another option with great size. He’s entering his third year in Houston and coming off of a 10-catch season.