Houston Texans are bringing back a critical piece on defense
FREE AGENT FRENZY
15 March 2022
FREE AGENT FRENZY
ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that the Houston Texans and DT Maliek Collins have agreed to a contract. Collins will return to the Texans on a 2-year, $17 million deal with $8.5 million guaranteed.
Defensive tackle Maliek Collins is signing back with the Texans on a 2-year $17 million deal that includes $8.5 million guaranteed, per @DrewJRosenhaus and @RyanMatha.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2022
We've heard several reports that the Texans were looking to find a way to bring Collins back, and they did exactly that. Lovie Smith mentioned Collins during his NFL Combine interview as one of several players the team was hoping to retain. The 26-year-old defensive tackle started 15 games and recorded 2.5 sacks with 7 QB hits for Houston in 2021. Collins was drafted by the Cowboys out of Nebraska in the third round in 2016.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!