DRAWING THE LINE
Patrick Creighton: Texans early offseason is a failure
Mar 20, 2018, 7:53 am
The Texans should have never moved on from Duane Brown without a plan. Tim Warner/Getty Images
It’s always important to me to be honest, fair, and transparent in everything I say on SportsMap 94.1 FM, SB Nation Radio, or write here on SportsMap.com. Everyone in Houston sports talk radio has a vested interest in the Texans success. We all want them to succeed; it makes our jobs easier and better. I want the Texans to win, and that’s why I’m frustrated with their offseason.
I love the additions of CB Aaron Colvin and Tyrann Mathieu. Colvin is a terrific slot corner who is a sure tackler. Mathieu gives the Texans a ball hawking presence in a secondary that desperately needs one.
Last season only two teams passed less than 60% of the time, Arizona (58%) and Philadelphia (59%). One of those teams played with a lot of leads. Expanded further to teams playing minimum three or more WR sets – all but 10 teams ran at least 3 wide over 60% of the time.
In fact, add up among all the teams percentage of times they ran at least three potential receiver targets (3WR or more), and it is 63% leaguewide. That doesn’t include the 12 personnel groupings (1 RB, 2 TE) with 2 WRs, which adds another 19% of total plays.
Teams are throwing more than ever, and the more quality DBs a team has, the better.
Considering the Texans defense is expected to return a healthy JJ Watt, Whitney Mercilus, D.J. Reader, Christian Covington, and Kevin Johnson, this unit was expected to be strong, and is now stronger. I think its fair to say that the overwhelming sentiment regarding the Texans defense last year was that it was ravaged by injuries or it would have been a strong unit.
While I’m happy the defense looks good on paper, and the secondary was a major area of need this offseason, job 1 was still the offensive line. This is where the airing of my grievances cannot wait for Festivus.
Last season, the Texans had the worst line in football. They surrendered 253 quarterback pressures, by far the most in the league (Arizona was second worst with 217). They tried 14 different line combinations in 16 games. They used five different starters at left tackle. They had a contract dispute with their best offensive lineman in Duane Brown, and then traded him away with no plan of succession.
To put this in perspective, Pro Football Focus uses a grading system to show the effectiveness of OL. Duane Brown, despite not having played a single snap in the offseason or preseason and missing six weeks in a dispute, then changing teams and having to learn new teammates and new schemes, graded out at 77.9. That is the high end of average. If he had an offseason and didn’t change teams, it would easily be expected he would grade above average and at least an 80 grade if not more.
The members of the Texans offensive line last season graded as follows:
C Nick Martin -- 44.9. Poor.
C/G Greg Mancz -- 39. Poor.
G Xavier Sua’Filo -- 35.8. Poor.
G/T Jeff Allen -- 38.4. Poor.
T Chris Clark -- 37.7. Poor.
T Breno Giacomini -- 32.7. Poor.
T Julien Davenport -- 47.6. Poor.
T Kendall Lamm -- 53.6. Poor.
Clearly, the "chuck it against the wall and see what sticks" plan for the offensive line failed in 2017.
In free agency, the only LT who was worth signing was Nate Solder, formerly of the Patriots. With $63M in cap space, the Texans could not afford to be outbid for him, yet that’s exactly what happened. Solder’s PFF grade for 2017 was 75.7, average. He got off to a slow start due to injury, and was significantly better as the season went on. Keep in mind, however, they could have redone Duane Brown’s deal for less than what Solder got on the open market, and Brown is a superior player.
As of today, the guys competing for the LT spot will be Julien Davenport and Jeff Allen. Allen, as you may recall, was shifted to LT Week 13 by Bill O’Brien as he vainly searched for a combination that would be successful.
The moves the Texans have made on the offensive line shouldn’t get you excited. I wish that wasn’t the case, but the whole being honest, fair and transparent thing is killing me here.
Let’s start with Zach Fulton, since he’s the best of the 3 OL the Texans have signed thus far. Fulton plays both guard and center, and depending on who you listen to (NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says he will play center for the Texans, the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain says he will play guard), he could be playing either spot for Houston. Fulton graded out at 68.8 per PFF last season, which they list as below average, but he was also the #14 Center in their rankings, so that makes him league average.
Senio Kelemete spent last season as a backup in New Orleans who was eventually pressed into starting eight games. He played every position last season except center. The Texans are paying him like a backup (3 yrs/$12M total potential value). He graded last season at 48.3 by PFF, poor.
The wild card is T Seantrel Henderson. A talented player with issues, Henderson was terrific his rookie season at RT for Buffalo but has been diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, has had multiple surgeries on his intestines as a result, and has been suspended two times by the NFL for violations of the substance abuse policy (he said he smoked weed to deal with the pain from Crohn’s). Crohn’s is a very serious disease. He has also one failed drug test from being out of the league for at least one year.
While Henderson impressed his rookie season in 2014, he’s only started one game over the past two seasons due to his various issues. Henderson is primarily a RT and signed a one year, ‘'prove it" type deal that could be worth up to $4M. It’s a flyer signing with potential upside. Despite limited playing time, he graded a 69.3 (high end of the below average marker) by PFF. Henderson also played the right side in college at Miami, so he is unlikely to be a LT candidate.
So far, the Texans are taking the "chuck it against the wall and see what sticks" approach to the offensive line again. This was a huge failure last year, but they are hoping for better results this coming season.
Considering the amount of cap space the Texans entered the offseason with, and the fact they have played 14 quarterbacks over Bill O’Brien’s tenure (including four last season), protecting the QB was absolutely Job 1. Deshaun Watson is coming off an ACL tear, his trademark elusiveness and escapability are not guaranteed to return the way they were last season, and the team has no idea who will be protecting his blind side. They also don’t know who his backups will be (and they better not include Taylor Heinicke).
Losing Watson wrecked the season for the Texans last year. The line could never protect any of the others, who lacked Watson’s spectacular ability to avoid the rush and break big plays. The poor line play also affected the team’s rushing success, as Lamar Miller had his worst season in five years as a starting RB.
The Texans lost battles routinely at the line of scrimmage on the offensive side of the ball. Improving the OL and getting a bona fide LT to anchor it were the biggest and most glaring needs this team had.
So far, I can’t say they have come close to addressing them.
Patrick Creighton is the host of “Nate & Creight” heard 1-3pm Mon-Fri on SportsMap 94.1FM, and “Sports & Shenanigans” heard 12-5p CT Sundays on SB Nation Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @pcreighton1
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! 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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