Texans Draft Preview Capsule

Posted April 18, 2019 7:00 am

By The Associated Press

23. HOUSTON TEXANS (11-6)

LAST SEASON: Used nine-game winning streak to dig out of early hole and become first team since 1998 to reach playoffs after 0-3 start before falling to Colts in wild-card round. Deshaun Watson returned from season-ending knee surgery in 2017 to start every game and give team confidence he will be franchise quarterback it has long searched for. Three-time Defensive Player of Year J.J. Watt shook off two years of injuries with All-Pro season to pair with 2014 top overall pick Jadeveon Clowney and lead defense.

FREE AGENCY: Texans lost veteran cornerback/safety Kareem Jackson and safety Tyrann Mathieu in free agency but reinforced secondary by signing safety Tashaun Gipson and cornerbacks Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Bradley Roby. Houston added quarterback AJ McCarron to provide upgrade to back up Watson after Brandon Weeden was No. 2 QB last season. Team also addressed need on offensive line by signing left tackle Matt Kalil, but he hasn't played since 2017 because of knee injury.

THEY NEED: LT, CB, S, RB.

THEY DON'T NEED: QB, WR, DE.

POSSIBLE FIRST PICK: Mississippi OT Greg Little; Oklahoma OL Cody Ford; Georgia CB Deandre Baker.

OUTLOOK: Now that Texans are set at quarterback with Watson they must improve offensive line after second-year player was sacked NFL-leading 62 times. Kalil has been solid in past, but with injury history they'll likely still look to add help on offensive line in draft. Texans could use more depth at cornerback with starter Johnathan Joseph turning 35 this month and might look to add running back after backup Alfred Blue signed with Jaguars.

___

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/tag/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers Football NFL NHL Pro Sports Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.