National talking head lobs strong accusation at Houston Texans

CATCHING HEAT?

Earlier this week, Mike Florio made a prediction that the Houston Texans would wind up acquiring QB Jimmy Garoppolo in a trade with the 49ers. He based this prediction on nothing but a gut instinct, citing Garoppolo's prior relationship with Texans GM Nick Caserio and how he operates. While most of us in Houston know this isn't likely to happen, because the Texans want to get a real look at Davis Mills, it was the other part of Florio's comment that really stood out.

Florio basically made his case that the Texans aren't really trying to win if they don't add another respectable QB to the roster. Are the Texans really tanking if they don't add more depth to their QB room? Backup QB Kyle Allen certainly isn't the answer, but if Mills is bad or injured this year, it might best serve the Texans to lose a lot of games to put them in the best position to draft a QB high in 2023.

Should that be considered tanking? Plus, who will get more time to prove themselves, Lovie Smith or Davis Mills?

Be sure to check out the video above as we break it all down.

If you enjoy our videos, please subscribe to the SportsMapHouston YouTube channel.

Most Popular

It doesn't sound like OC Bobby Slowik is going anywhere. Composite Getty Image.

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.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM