These are the dog days of winter for the Houston Texans who are still unpacking their improbable 2023 season that stirred dreams of future deep postseason runs.

If no one saw last season coming – the AFC South Division title, a postseason game at home complete with an underdog win – then it’s OK to look ahead with rose-colored goggles. Head coach DeMeco Ryans is a strong candidate for Coach of the Year, quarterback C.J. Stroud should win Offensive Rookie of the Year unanimously, and the offensive coordinator is being lauded as one of the best young minds in the NFL. That’s the big picture for sure.

But it’s the little things that point to the Texans being taken seriously as a legit budding powerhouse, and two of them happened over the past few days.

A couple of nights ago Tampa Bay Buccaneer free agent receiver Mike Evans attended a Rockets game at Toyota Center. When they flashed Evans’ image on the big scoreboard, a tingle shot up Texans fans’ legs. Could the Texans be interested in signing Evans … and would an all-pro talent like Evans want to play here?

Two years ago, the answers would have been hell no! Superstars want to play where they have a chance of winning a Super Bowl ring. They want to play for respected coaching staffs. They want to play in cities where the NFL team dominates the sports headlines.

You might recall that the Texans were a disastrous franchise of unimagined failure – four coaches in four years. One season the team was paying three of them at the same time. The stands were practically empty. No one seemed to care, which is the worst that could happen to a pro team. Fans could count Texans wins on one hand and have fingers left over to show the team owner what they thought of him.

Now? Why wouldn’t Evans want to come to Houston? He grew up in Galveston and played his college ball at Texas A&M. More important, where would he find a better situation to pad his Hall of Fame credentials? In Tampa Bay where Baker Mayfield may or may not be your quarterback? Or in Houston where one of the best young passers in NFL history would be calling your number?

Maybe it’s because he’s played his entire career in small market Tampa Bay, but Evans is compiling numbers that compare favorably with the all-time greats. He racked up more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of his 10 seasons. Last season he caught 79 balls for 1,255 yards. He’s big, 6 ft. 5 and 231 pounds, and he goes deep. He led the NF L in touchdowns last year with 13. Imagine a Texans receiving corps with Evans, Nico Collins and Tank Dell.

Evans will want big bucks, but he’s proven he’s no whammy.

Equally important to the Texans status as an up-and-coming contender, but in a weirdly different way, a Houston Texan has landed a national commercial – the first local hero since J.J. Watt plastered his face on products ranging from Reebok to Gatorade to Ford trucks to Verizon Wireless.

C.J. Stroud has hooked up with Cheetos Crunchy Buffalo snacks. The hook of the Cheetos campaign is, while these chips will never top Buffalo wings, sometimes No. 2 is the best place to be. It’s a play on the Texans landing Stroud with the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft behind Bryce Young.

Stroud’s message: “Buffalo wings have always been superior and king at watch parties in the football season. So Cheetos came out with a new flavor, Buffalo Crunchy Cheetos. We’re trying to take over the second spot right under Buffalo wings. I know a thing or two about being second and still trying to bring the heat.”