COUNTDOWN TO THE SEASON
Cody Stoots: The 11 most important Texans not named Deshaun Watson
Cody Stoots
Jul 10, 2018, 8:13 am
DeAndre Hopkins might be the most important Texan not named Watson. Tim Warner/Getty Images
Obviously, Deshaun Watson is the most important player on this team. There won't be any debate. They're sunk without him. So these Texans players find themselves as the most important Texans players after QB1:
1) DeAndre Hopkins
Hopkins is the most important Texans player behind Deshaun Watson. His 94 receptions, 1,370 yards, and 10 touchdowns is the Hopkins average if you take out the year he couldn't get on the same page with Brock Osweiler. He is QB-proof, again except for Brock, having had success with every quarterback he has ever played with. He was amazing with Watson last year and should be even better this year. He could put up numbers as impressive or more than last year's figures. The offense is built around Watson but the passing attack is built around Hopkins. The defense though will need their own Mr. Consistent...
2) Jadeveon Clowney
Clowney finds himself constantly one step away from a game-breaking play. Those other times he is terrorizing the rushing attacks of other teams. The pass rushing is almost to an elite level for him. The new deal lingers and if for some reason the money isn't on the table making it hurt at the next negotiation will be Clowney's goal. If the new deal is in place then a happy Clowney loves football and is ready to dominate.
3) Whitney Mercilus
Him being this high on this list might surprise some but it shouldn't. Two seasons ago in J.J. Watt's absence, the defense found themselves as one of the best in football and Mercilus was one of the main reasons. With 2018 being the next to last year on his contract think of this upcoming season as a contract year for Mercilus. His current deal has been a steal for the Texans. A huge year could see Mercilus head to the negotiating table with a chance to make sure he finishes his career well paid and as a member of the Texans.
4) Will Fuller
Fuller has to have a full and competitive season for the Texans to be one of the best teams in the AFC. He was fantastic in his limited work with Watson totaling all seven of his touchdowns and 125 more yards working with Watson than after the quarterback's season ended. He is there to create a matchup problem for defenses and take some pressure off Hopkins but he will need to evolve. Fuller can't be a one trick pony and will need to be a complete wideout to help the Texans establish their offense.
5) Aaron Colvin
Colvin and his role with the team will help determine how the secondary is going to approach most opponents. He has been one of the best slot corners in the game but he wasn't brought over to be just a slot corner for the Texans. Colvin will need to be a consistent playmaker, on and off the box score, to make sure the Texans can stymie opposing offense for just that one extra moment to allow a hopefully healthy pass rush to earn sacks and disrupt pass catchers. He's easily the most talented cornerback on the roster.
6) Tyrann Mathieu
The Honey Badger has played safety the most of all the safeties on the Texans. Let that sink in. Now realize as far as starting safety experience he will outrank the next few names combined. Kareem Jackson is now at safety as is Treston Decoud. Corey Moore was demoted last season after the New England game. Justin Reid is a rookie. The constant comments that Mathieu would focus heavily on safety now make more sense. Mathieu will have to be an immediate impact player for Romeo Crennel's defense.
7) Lamar Miller
The No. 1 RB had no 100-yard rushing games last season. He also checked in with a career-low 3.7 yards per attempt. The offensive line was not effective last year so that has to contribute to it but Miller is also quickly approaching the time in his career when most running backs break or lose a step. The heaviest workload of his career what his first with Houston and last year wasn't good. Foreman is injured and the rest of the running backs are unremarkable. It is on Miller's shoulders to get this rushing attack going.
8) Ryan Griffin
He is really important and don't you dare laugh at this. The Texans face a premier corner in six of their first nine games. Stephon Gilmore, Malcolm Butler, Janoris Jenkins, Tre'davious White, and the Jaguars duo all show up in the first two months of the season. With those guys slowing down DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller the focus of the other secondary members the Texans will have to make sure Griffin gets going. He has played five seasons and the next three guys on the depth chart combine for two, with Stepehen Anderson having those two and the two rookies Jordan Akins and Jordan Thomas behind him. If Griffin isn't good it will be hard for Watson to get going early in the season.
9) J.J. Watt
Watt is of course very important. If he is good, the Texans should dominate people on defense. If he isn't good then the looming cloud of a forgotten Watt will be there all season. Watt and his teammates will answer questions of why the old Watt isn't on the field. Also, there isn't a lot of good depth behind him. He needs to be good, take up some of the important snaps on defense, and not be the Watt of old but be a good player.
10) Benardrick McKinney
He played better in 2016 than he did last season but he still earned a huger contract this offseason. He can't be just good enough for the Texans anymore. Yes, Zach Cunningham and Dylan Cole compose a decent amount of talent behind him, but McKinney has the significant experience. He is reliable but the Texans didn't pay for their middle linebacker to be reliable. If McKinney isn't better than 2017 the Texans and the fans watching him might be thinking buyer's remorse.
11) Julién Davenport
He makes the list because he is the only member of this turned over offensive line without some significant experience. There isn't a backup plan for left tackle. The Texans have focused on him and with or without earning it he takes over at left tackle for better or worse. The leash won't be short either. The positive for him is no elite pass rushers show up early on the schedule. He has six weeks to get comfortable before the Jaguars terrifying defense shows up.
So there you have it. The most important Texans after Deshaun Watson. Watson's injury would be devastating and sink the team but the Texans don't have the talent to afford one of these key players to miss significant time.
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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