Not over yet: Most valuable takeaways from Houston Texans reality-check collapse
TEXANS ON TAP
11 December 2023
TEXANS ON TAP
The Houston Texans knew that offense could be hard to come by after Tank Dell went down for the year against the Broncos last week. Things got even worse when Nico Collins left Sunday's game early with a calf injury, leaving CJ Stroud without his top two targets.
Houston managed only 6 points against the Jets, and lost the game 30-6, falling to 7-6 on the season. TE Brevin Jordan was the top pass catcher on offense, posting an underwhelming 3 catches for 35 yards. Noah Brown and John Metchie didn't factor into the game at all. Brown was held without a single catch, and Metchie hauled in one pass for 6 yards.
One thing is for sure, this offense has no chance without Tank Dell and/or Nico Collins.
What happened to the defense?
It's easy to blame the offense for the loss, considering how many injuries they were dealing with.
But the defense deserves their fair share of blame, allowing RB Breece Hall to easily catch 8 passes for 86 yards to go along with his 40 yards rushing. Receiver Garrett Wilson also had a big day, going over 100 receiving yards on 9 receptions.
The Texans had to come into this matchup knowing these are the two most important players to keep in check. Instead, they had no answers for Hall and Wilson, as Zach Wilson carved up DeMeco Ryans' defense all afternoon.
And just when we thought things couldn't get worse, Texans QB CJ Stroud left the game late with a concussion. His availability for their next game is at best uncertain. More often than not, players usually don't't come back the next game after entering the concussion protocol.
Which means Davis Mills or Case Keenum will likely be the starter against the Titans on Sunday.
Be sure to watch the video above as we share our top takeaways from the loss, and discuss how they can improve before next week's game.
Watch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) every Monday on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel.
Since the season ended on October 2nd, the Astros have made some offseason moves including signing Christian Walker and trading Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs for Isaac Parades, Hayden Wesneski and prospect Cam Smith.
One player of note who remains unsigned is Alex Bregman. The All-Star third baseman was reportedly offered a six-year deal from the Astros worth over $150 million earlier in the offseason, ultimately rejected by Bregman and his agent Scott Boras.
With spring training starting in less than a month, it’s safe to say time may be running out for the 30-year-old. With his options getting more limited as the days progress, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see Bregman return to Houston for the 2025 season.
Astros manager Joe Espada has been open about his willingness to have Bregman return to the team given the right opportunity.
“He has not signed with anyone, so we are still open. Our arms are still open. The door is still open,” Espada said. “There’s always a chance. But right now we are still in conversations with not only him but with other free-agent players, so we’ll see.”
Bregman has been linked to the Tigers and Red Sox this offseason with little to no traction between him and either club.
The Red Sox seem to make the most logical sense to sign the All-Star, and appear to be the front-runner as of late. Former Astros’ bench coach Alex Cora is still Boston’s manager and continues to maintain a good relationship with Bregman, according to reports.
The Red Sox have spent money on players in the past such as Trevor Story and signing Rafael Devers to a long-term extension in recent years, so it would be a move that makes sense for Boston to make.
Bregman could also be a natural fit given his willingness to move positions, essentially shifting him to second base full-time, or Devers moving to first base and Bregman returning to third base.
Although it seems like a good fit on paper, Boston appears to be hesitant to give Bregman the $200 million plus contract he wants.
Similarly to the Red Sox, the Tigers have been linked to the two-time All-Star as well throughout the offseason, but talks have stalled between both parties recently.
With Bregman running low on options as spring training draws near, it may be time for the 30-year-old to consider taking a short-term contract, even though he was initially against this.
Scott Boras is notorious for giving his clients short deals to get back on the free agent market the following season. Last year Blake Snell, Matt Chapman and Jordan Montgomery took short deals with an opt-out after one season. All three players remained unsigned heading into spring training and didn’t sign until just before the start of the regular season.
Bregman may be forced into this kind of deal, which could potentially bring the Astros back into contention to sign their former third baseman.
Although Houston may have secured their corner infield positions with Christian Walker at first base and Isaac Paredes at third, Bregman could still find a role on this team.
The most obvious scenario would be to move Paredes to left field and put the Gold Glove winner back at his natural position, third base.
Another possibility was reported by USA Today's Bob Nightengale on Thursday. He suggested that moving Jose Altuve to left field could be an option if Bregman re-signs with Houston.
The Houston Astros are keeping the door ajar for free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman to return, but are not optimistic. Bregman has serious offers from at least 2 teams.
If the Astros pulled it off, Bregman could stay at 3B, Isaac Paredes move to 2B and Jose Altuve move to LF.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 23, 2025
Bringing Bregman back would give the club more infield depth and give their lineup another reliable bat.
If the Astros could re-sign Bregman to a short-term deal with an opt-out after one season, it could behoove both parties and keep Houston’s championship window open for the foreseeable future.