The biggest surprise of the 2023 NFL season came courtesy of the Houston Texans.
From being one of the worst teams in football with little to get excited about to becoming a high-profile pick for the Super Bowl, analysts will study the Texans’ turnaround for years to come.
As they enter their second season under head coach DeMeco Ryans, the Texans still have plenty of questions to answer going into training camp.
Unanswered Questions Entering Houston Texans Training Camp
Thanks to the help of C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson, the Texans managed to improve their win total by seven games from 2022 to 2023, a rare mark for any rebuilding team in the NFL.
As the group prepares for its second year together, though, expectations have certainly changed in Space City.
Houston was aggressive in improving the roster throughout the offseason, and the Texans head into camp as one of the more talented teams in the NFL today. As the Texans prepare for the start of training camp, though, there are still some questions that need to be answered.
Today, we’ll break them all down here.
Can C.J. Stroud Get Even Better After Sensational Rookie Season?
It is not outlandish to say that Stroud had the most impressive rookie season from a quarterback in league history. Turning around what was a terrible Texans offense in 2022 into one of the best in 2023 is beyond impressive.
What will the Ohio State product do as an encore, though?
A natural regression is usually met with young quarterbacks who see success right away on the football field. Players like Dak Prescott, Mac Jones, Robert Griffin III, and Matt Ryan all missed the playoffs in their sophomore years after making it their rookie seasons.
Stroud will try not to join that list in 2024, but it’s still something he’ll need to watch throughout the season.
Is Stefon Diggs Still a No. 1 Caliber WR?
At the height of his game, Stefon Diggs was one of the best receivers in football with a clear and obvious skill set that can be a difference-maker on any roster.
The issue?
At 30 years old and with a long history of being disgruntled when not getting the ball, there are a lot more questions about how Diggs will fit into Houston’s offense this season. There might be even more questions than when he was first traded to the Bills.
There is also the reality that Diggs’ production plummeted with Buffalo in the final few months of the 2023 season. At one point last season, Diggs led the league in catches. But he ended the year with the lowest catch percentage of his career and a frustrating seven-game stretch without a touchdown to end 2023.
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Is it a coincidence, or a sign of Diggs’ age playing a part in his overall production? That’s something training camp will answer somewhat early in Houston.
No one will ever deny the talent that Diggs brings to the Texans’ offense, but it’s his exploits on the sideline and off the field that will be a major question throughout training camp.
Are Texans Ready to Leap Into Super Bowl Contention?
If you compare the the Texans’ roster to the rest of the AFC, there’s an objective case to be made that they have the most talented group. A Super Bowl berth should be part of Houston’s exceeded expectations now.
Championships aren’t won on paper, though. Houston remains one of the younger teams in the NFL with their talented core continuing to develop. But how the veterans on the roster mix with that young talent will tell the story of if this group is truly ready to become Super Bowl contenders.
What Will Defense Look Like in Year 2 Under DeMeco Ryans?
Arguably the most impressive part of Houston’s turnaround was that Ryans was able to make impactful changes to the team’s defense and turn them into a top-15 group in yards and points allowed.
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What will that same group look like in Year 2 following some significant losses in free agency like Jonathan Greenard? Houston did manage to replace him with a top player in Danielle Hunter, but the newcomers will need to fit in quickly with the rest of the defense as that group prepares for its second season under Ryans.
Are Sophmore Slumps Real?
This is really the only question that matters for the Texans when it comes to their head coach and quarterback.
Most rookie coaches and quarterbacks who join together have a natural regression going into their second year as they learn to adjust to what opposing organizations throw at them.
While some, like the John Harbaugh-Joe Flacco or Rex Ryan-Mark Sanchez duos, are outliers, fans and analysts will quickly determine if a sophomore slump is coming for both Ryans and his Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback.