The Houston Texans surprised everyone with their performance during the 2023 season. They aren’t going to be catching people off guard in 2024, but have spent the offseason upgrading the roster to ensure they keep moving in the right direction.
In free agency, they made a splash signing, landing star edge rusher Danielle Hunter. He will combine with Will Anderson Jr. to make a strong pass rushing duo for DeMeco Ryans to rely on defensively.
Offensively, the Houston Texans have an emerging star at quarterback. C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, had a record-setting rookie season and has helped push their timeline forward.
Looking to capitalize on the value his rookie deal provides, the front office made several major additions. The biggest one was acquiring Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills.
Houston now has one of the best wide receiver groups in the NFL. Diggs joins Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Robert Woods, Noah Brown, John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson.
In the backfield, the Texans acquired running back Joe Mixon from the Cincinnati Bengals. With Devin Singletary leaving in free agency to join the New York Giants, Mixon will be relied upon as their early-down workhorse.
Acquiring a player with as much experience as Mixon, who can help as much in the passing game as the run game, seems like a strong move on paper. However, one NFL analyst wasn’t too fond of the move.
Over at Pro Football Network, Tony Catalina provided a brutal assessment of the trade. He gave the deal a C- for the Houston Texans, naming it one of the five worst of the 2024 NFL offseason.
“The compensation to acquire Mixon is so minimal that it’s hard to hate the deal too much. However, the move felt unnecessary, and with an RB room already consisting of intriguing talent, Mixon’s addition to the group doesn’t make much sense.
Furthermore, Houston also opted to give him an extension valued at just under $20 million, giving him top-tier money for his position.
It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, considering that Mixon has had some injuries during his career, is a veteran with some tread on his tires, and the RB position as a whole continues to be devalued around the league,” Catalina wrote.
Mixon surpassed 1,500 NFL carries last season, a number we start to see running backs decline at. But, he just turned 28 today, which could hint that some solid production still exists.
Given the position that the Houston Texans are in, this deal won’t sink them. Having a phenomenal quarterback on a rookie deal is the most valuable asset in the NFL.
The Texans have that and should spend elsewhere to shore up the roster. This is the time to spend, as Stroud isn’t extension eligible for multiple years.
