Five Burning Questions 2016

[Go Coogs']

Houston Texans

1. Is the safety depth good enough to hold up during a 16 game season?

It's the weakest unit on the team, but they have help with Kevin Johnson, Kareem Jackson, and JoJo as the cover corners. I'm worried about Demps getting burned or being in the wrong area at times. Andre Hal looks good but he lacks top end speed and he's undersized. After those two its Eddie Pleasant and Corey Moore.....again...who? Should be interesting to watch.

2. Is Jadaveon Clowney ready to turn a corner?

I think if the Texans want to be serious contenders they need to have an elite front seven and they have the talent to do it. Merciless and Watt (if healthy) are the premier pass rushers for this defense. Cushing looks like he's gained a step since being two years removed from his numerous knee injuries. Christian Covington is a decent play opposite JJ and Bendarick McKinney is as good as you can ask for out of a second rounder going into his second season. Clowney needs to be great in order for this defense to separate themselves from he pack. They have the talent, but Clowney needs to be a beast.

3. Do all these shiny new weapons on offense make the Texans better on offense?

Of course it does, but there are going to be growing pains along the way. I'm curious as to how O'Brien is going to utilize these guys because Jalen Strong looks to have a breakout season as the #2 WR, but Fuller's production during the preseason has me thinking otherwise. Also, how do you get the ball in the hands of Braxton Miller who is as dynamic of athlete as they come? I'm hoping for some creative playcalling for this to get touches in space. Lamar Miller has never had a major workload in the league and that worries me a bit upping his touches to 250-300 range. I think he can handle it, but he's not considered a workhorse, so I'm a little hesitant to call Miller a true fix in a backfield that was lacking playmakers last season. Grimes and Blue can share the load, but the talent does drop off quite a bit if Miller goes down.

2. Is the offensive line healthy?

Nobody seems to know. It looks as though Duane Brown is not going to start the season on the PUP list which is good, but how long before he's ready to go for full contact? Is Derik Newton ready after missing all of preseason? They say he is, but again it worries me these veterans are starting week 1 without doing much else the last 5 weeks. Losing Nick Martin at C for the entire season was a huge setback and now the Texans are relying heavily Greg Mancz...uh...who? It's going to be interesting to watch this unit. They're lack of depth and the LT and RT coming back week 1 scares the shit out of me.

1. Is Brock Osweiler worth the money?

So far, everything points to him being a solid QB, but in all reality the speed and intensity is going to be different during the regular season. I think he's a good fit in O'Brien's system and he'll excel if his internal clock is working correctly. He has to get the ball out fast and accurately for offense to work and so far he's passed the eye test in that regard. I think he's going to be good here. Maybe not Matt Schaub 2009-2010 good, but just below that. He has the weapons and he has the coach to lead him to decent tenure with the Texans.


Texans get a break in their schedule by facing a Brady-less Pats and no Bridgewater for the Vikes. Everything is point to towards the Texans being one of the top contenders in a down year for the AFC, however, the Titans and Jags are no longer gimme wins. The division is going to be tougher to go through but the Texans should be favored in every game with a pick'em against the Colts in Indy.

11-5.

[Dinsdale]

Cushing looks like he's gained a step

Which means he'll be missing quite a few games once the lab results come back.