It’s that time of year again. Here are three burning questions for the Houston Texans.
Could a pieced-together secondary be the best in football?
Former Raider Gareon Conley, former Bronco Bradley Roby, and former Buccaneer Vernon Hargreaves form solid cornerback depth and join former Justin Reid and former Browns safety Eric Murray in the Texans’ secondary. If they can gel quickly and play like they have through their respective careers, this defensive backfield could be one of the best in football.
Whitney Mercilus, J.J. Watt, and the front seven can get pressure. Barring Watt can stay on the field, this secondary could create matchup nightmares for opposing offenses.
Wait, they traded who?
The most shocking deal in the NFL this offseason went down when the Texans traded arguably the best receiver in football, DeAndre Hopkins, to the Arizona Cardinals.
Deshaun Watson’s most reliable target is replaced with Randall Cobb and Brandin Cooks to complement Will Fuller V and Kenny Stills.
Not to take anything away from those names as they are quality veteran receivers, but none of them are close to Hopkins’s elite level, either.
Fuller himself has had injury issues, but when on the field he has built some chemistry with his quarterback. Stills and Cooks have been great receivers in the league but have both experienced playing with different quarterbacks. Both receivers might have to adjust their own games and how they play their position.
At the end of the day, they are all professional football players so they should figure it out but it wouldn’t shock many if it takes some time to come together.
Can Johnson and Johnson be a solid one-two punch?
The Texans’ takeaway in the Hopkins trade was former Cardinals starting running back David Johnson. He has failed to remain healthy and last season, his productivity dropped to the point that he was all but taken out of the offense.
A fellow third-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Duke Johnson was part of last season’s one-two punch out of the backfield for the Texans along with Carlos Hyde.
If David Johnson can be his 2016 Pro Bowl-caliber self, this team’s running game will be very good.
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