When an NFL team enters the offseason, the fanbase of said team has some excitement. NFL teams can rebuild fairly quickly depending on several key factors: spending wisely in free agency, drafting well and having good draft capital. Finding players that fit your scheme is a huge part of this also. That being said, the Texans didn't (couldn't) do much of this. They had little to no draft capital, didn't make wise use of it, and only spent money on low level free agents. Given the way this offseason has turned out, the best fans can hope for is mediocrity this coming season.

The Deshaun Watson saga is playing out slower than molasses flowing uphill in winter. Whether he plays this season or not, which I don't expect, this roster doesn't have enough talent to win more than five to six games at best. So who plays at quarterback in his absence? Tyrod Taylor would be the presumed starter in this scenario. They used their first draft pick, number 67 overall, to take quarterback Davis Mills. While Mills has some skills and tools, he'll need time before he's truly ready to lead a team. Taylor is best as a backup. If he's a full time starter, don't expect much. It may benefit the Texans to give Mills the keys and see what he's got. Worst case scenario, he sucks and they're drafting high next offseason. Not a bad trade off.

Wide receiver Nico Collins and tight end Brevin Jordan weren't high priority needs, but they seem like they could be good depth guys. They both have traits that could make them into players, but their ceilings aren't very high to be big time difference makers. Linebacker Garret Wallow and defensive tackle Roy Lopez aren't anything to write home about. Wallow may see time as a special teamer, but I don't see Lopez getting much playing time at all. The only one in this group I expect to get significant playing time is Collins. At 6'4, he's the team's tallest wide receiver and at 215lbs, he's almost their heaviest. A big target is a quarterback's best friend.

All this supports the fact that the Texans are in for a poor season in 2021, maybe even again in 2022. This franchise was left for dead. General manager Nick Caserio has done as well as he possibly could, outside of this draft. Trading up twice and severely overpaying was not smart. I'm hoping this isn't indicative of what's to come from him in the future with a full compliment of draft picks. While he managed the cap hell fairly well by signing bargain free agents, restructuring some deals, and cutting dead weight, he still has a ton of work to do in order to build a contender. Finding some diamonds in the rough this offseason would help, but so would picking in the top three picks in every round in next year's draft and hitting on every one of them. Here's to hoping Caserio has a better offseason next year.