Houston Texans free agent options keep growing and some big names are taking notice

WATT AN OPTION

After the Texans last two dramatic wins, they have all of a sudden become the darlings of the NFL. You can't watch any sports show without CJ Stroud's MVP chances being a topic that dominates the conversation.

And Colin Cowherd is no different. In fact, an interesting point was discussed on his podcast this week involving the long-term outlook for the Texans.

With the success the team is having with CJ Stroud, the Texans will now be a desirable destination for free agents, and the Texans shouldn't have to overpay players to join the team anymore.

Plus, with so many impactful players on one-year deals, the Texans will have the luxury of either re-signing them, or upgrading through free agency.

Here are some of the players on one-year contracts the Texans will have to make a decision on after the season.

Sheldon Rankins

Noah Brown

Dalton Schultz

Tavierre Thomas

George Fant

Michael Dieter

Devin Singletary

Denzel Perryman

Steven Nelson (his two-year deal expires after the season)

And just this week, JJ Watt shared some thoughts on which team he would like to join if he ever decided to come out of retirement. You guessed it, the Texans.

Be sure to watch the video above as we discuss the long-term outlook for the Texans and react to Watt's surprising comments.

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The Astros are cooking! Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros have looked like one of baseball’s most dangerous teams in recent weeks, riding a hot streak fueled by dominant starting pitching and a red-hot offense that’s erupted for double-digit runs in four of their last eight games. But behind the current success, there are fair questions about whether this pace is truly sustainable as the grind of the season continues.

Yes, the Astros are winning — and winning big — but context matters. Many of their recent victories have come against struggling clubs like the White Sox and Athletics. Even matchups against the Twins and Guardians, while respectable, don’t exactly represent championship-caliber tests. That soft stretch of the schedule has certainly helped Houston pad its win column, but it may not be the best predictor of long-term performance. Houston will be tested in the upcoming series against the Phillies and Cubs.

On the pitching side, the numbers have been impressive, but how repeatable is it? With Lance McCullers Jr. sidelined for at least a couple of weeks, the Astros are relying on a patchwork rotation that includes unproven arms like Colton Gordon, Ryan Gusto, and Brandon Walter. While each has shown flashes, asking them to shoulder the load deep into the summer may be a tall order.

Offensively, Houston is firing on all cylinders. But scoring 10 or more runs every other game simply isn’t sustainable over a 162-game season. Regression is inevitable; the question is how the team responds when the bats cool down or the bullpen is asked to carry more weight.

Amid all this, rookie third baseman Cam Smith continues to shine. Just a few months into his major league career, Smith is producing at a level that suggests he’s not just a key piece of the future — he’s already one of the team’s most valuable players. His batting average sits just a point behind Jose Altuve’s, and his OPS is even higher. If the Astros were forced to choose two players to build around long-term, factoring in youth and contract status, the logical duo might be Smith and breakout pitcher Hunter Brown.

So what about the big picture? Is this team a true World Series contender?

Oddsmakers currently have Houston with the seventh-best odds to win it all, and only the Yankees and Tigers rank higher among American League teams. The core is still there, the experience is undeniable, and if the pitching continues to hold — especially with the anticipated return of Spencer Arrighetti and a healthy McCullers — the Astros have every reason to believe they’ll be in the mix deep into October.

But that’s a big “if.” The ceiling is still high, and with Cam Smith emerging as a star in real time, this team might just have another gear. Whether they can reach it when the competition stiffens, that remains to be seen.

There's so much more to cover! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!

The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.

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*ChatGPT assisted.

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