The verdict is in. The Houston Texans are a top 10 team in the preseason power rankings, according to Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab. Not just a top-10 team, but the eighth-best team going. A lot of this seems to be due to C.J. Stroud.

In Schwab’s piece, he focuses highly on Stroud. He links him to all-time greats like Dan Marino, builds the team’s “best-case scenario” and “nightmare scenario” over how he does, and generally just focuses on him being the key to the offense. Aside from the “B” grade he gave the Texans offseason, there isn’t much here that we haven’t seen or heard elsewhere this offseason.

Yet, what this power ranking has given us is a public perspective of where this team is in the eyes of the NFL. Only eight other teams are ahead of the Texans; The Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, and the San Francisco 49ers.

It’s an interesting spot for the Texans to land for several reasons. One, it seems like the team is in better shape than the Browns or Cowboys, especially after 2023. After all, the Texans handed the Browns a lopsided loss in the playoffs. The Ravens, Chiefs, 49ers, and Bills seem like teams the Texans will need to beat to hop over in the rankings, yet the Lions are a pretty on-par team with the Texans.

So while eighth is great, it’s also a bit lower. The Texans, plus the offseason they’ve had (and continue to have) should have the team higher than the Browns, Cowboys, and either right before or after the Lions. No lower than sixth, no higher than fifth. That’s about where the Texans should land if we’re being fair.

Considering Schwab has the Falcons over the Buccaneers, and the Bears at number sixteen, we’re not at all shocked that the Browns and Cowboys are over the Texans.