Houston Texans add former Cardinals running back to the mix
TEXANS NEWS
15 November 2022
TEXANS NEWS
The Houston Texans used their top waiver wire claim this week to snatch former Cardinals running back Eno Benjamin.
The #Texans have claimed former #AZCardinals RB Eno Benjamin, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 15, 2022
Benjamin reportedly wasn't happy with his lack of playing time, so the team decided to cut ties with the former 7th round pick out of Arizona State.
Benjamin did a decent job filling in while the Cardinals dealt with some injuries at the running back position, but his playing time dwindled after James Connor returned from injury. Hopefully, Benjamin doesn't voice displeasure with the Texans about his playing time, but watching Rex Burkhead get more snaps than him could create another issue.
The Texans have received a lot of criticism for their head-scratching faith in Burkhead this season. Maybe Benjamin's ability to catch the football will finally give the Texans a RB with some juice to take the pass-catching role away from Burkhead. Fingers crossed!
Benjamin started three games this year and recorded 299 rushing yards, two touchdowns, and 184 receiving yards on 24 catches.
One of the nuggets that came out of Nick Caserio's press conference this week, was his thoughts on the job Bobby Slowik has done as an offensive coordinator. When asked if the team has considered sharing the offensive play calling, Caseiro responded with an emphatic, “absolutely not.”
Caserio went on to praise the job Slowik has done this year, and to say the team's struggles in the second half this season is due to execution.
This stance is consistent with what we've heard from Texans insiders that believe Slowik will be back next season. As much as many Texans fans believe a change at OC could help CJ Stroud, who's shown regression this year, it doesn't appear Slowik is going anywhere.
To be fair, most teams aren't looking to replace their coordinators when they're leading their division and marching toward the postseason for the second straight year.
Number crunching
When comparing Stroud's stats to last season, there is a clear dropoff in 2024. But a lot of that has to do with the addition of Joe Mixon, especially when it comes to touchdowns.
Mixon is third in the NFL with 11 rushing TDs, while Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary only combined for 6 over the entire 2023 season. One could argue the passing offense has regressed, but one could also argue the offense overall is more balanced.
Stroud is still Top 5 in passing yards, heading into this week's games. And even if we account for the bye week, Stroud will still be Top 10 after this week's slate of games.
The most concerning number to keep an eye on is sacks. Only one QB has been sacked more than Stroud, who's been sacked 41 times. CJ's protection has gotten better since Juice Scruggs was moved to guard, and Jarrett Patterson was inserted at center.
If Stroud starts getting hit again at a high level, that may be the one factor that could make the front office rethink their plans at coordinator. However, if the Texans do make a change, we expect them to address their o-line coach before any changes at OC.
Be sure to watch the video above for our full breakdown of the Texans offense, the coaching staff, and our thoughts on how the Azeez Al-Shaair suspension will impact the team.