J.J. Watt has not been seen since getting helped off the field early last season. Bob Levey/Getty Images
The Texans are hoping they can return to their former defensive glory in 2018 under coordinator Romeo Crennel. That means they need to get back to being stout up front against the run and penetrating against the pass. Really, they need J.J. Watt back and healthy. They’ve got enough pieces around him to make a pretty good group. If healthy though, his intangibles can put them over the top.
So, let’s start with his situation. Watt is expected to be available at the start of camp and should avoid any injury designation. He is coming back from a tibial plateau fracture in his left leg after playing only five games in 2017. That comes after playing only three in 2016. He and the team are counting on a bounce back year.
He’s probably going to be on a snap count early in the season to make sure there are no lingering issues. It will be up to a group, mostly the same players on the team last season, to keep the defensive rotation solid. That group will be led by versatile playmaker Jadeveon Clowney.
He’s not just a defensive end out there. Last season he lined up all over the front seven and will do so again. He plays defensive end, outside linebacker, middle linebacker and even defensive tackle. Anywhere they think he can be disruptive he will play. Both he and the Texans are going to need that as he goes into his fifth and final year of his contract. A new deal isn’t done yet and if he doesn’t get one soon, he will use this season to leverage an even bigger payday in the spring.
Christian Covington is going to be the other anchor at defensive end. But he too will be returning from injury. He played in the first seven games last season before tearing his bicep and going on the disabled list. Before that he was a solid piece up front and I expect him to be so again, providing more flexibility to the line.
But competition will be fierce. Second year man Carlos Watkins is going to do everything he can to take a big leap in his development. If he can, the rotation at that position will be what it needs to be to stay fresh for a full 16 game schedule. But he’s going to be in a dogfight with the guy he was on the field with a lot last year, Joel Heath. Watkins and Heath should make this team easily, but nothing is guaranteed.
Like any good team, Watt, Covington, Watkins, and Heath aren’t the only defensive ends in camp. Rotation player Angelo Blackson is returning after getting in nine games in 2017 and former Houston Cougar Nick Thurman will be there as an undrafted free agent. They will have their shot to make the roster, but I see them being on the outside looking in.
On the inside, plugging up the middle at nose tackle once again is D.J. Reader. He’s had a great first two seasons in Houston and with a little help he can probably do even better this year. Reader is exactly what a nose tackle should be in the NFL. He can hold the point of attack and leverage himself well in the pass rush.
But after Reader’s injury, Brandon Dunn was the man who stepped up to fill his shoes. He returns this season to be a piece of the rotation. A solid group in the trenches might help the Texans be better than the 13th ranked run defense they were last year.
Rounding out this group are three guys hoping their long shot to make the team isn’t too long. Darius Kilgo and Marcus Hardison will be looking to make their second rosters since being drafted in 2015. Kilgo saw game action his rookie year in Denver but wasn’t an impact player. Hardison made the final roster for the Bengals in 2015 but was never active for a game.
The last nose tackle on the roster for camp is undrafted rookie Kingsley Opara from the University of Maryland. He’s an upside player who needs to develop more of his game as an inside pass rusher. He can benefit from some good coaching in camp and will be a candidate for the practice squad later.
All in all, this group can be a great asset for Houston. Getting back Watt and Covington can be the biggest difference in a defensive turnaround from one year to the next. It was just two years ago that they were the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL. A big part of that was a tough defensive line and the ability to get a great pass rush. If they are healthy expect big things all around for Romeo Crennel’s group.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have 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!
*ChatGPT assisted.
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