Organized team activities are underway across the NFL, and the Houston Texans are still among the worst teams in the league.
In fact, they are the worst team.
According to Peter King from NBC Sports, the Texans are No. 32 in his latest power rankings.
At least the Texans know what they are. They’re a bad team, drafting for the long-term. Even if corner is not a vital need in new coach Lovie Smith’s defense and Derek Stingley Jr.’s not the best Smith fit, he was the best player available for GM Nick Caserio and for Houston for the next six to eight years. Davis Mills gets this season to prove to Caserio—with four first-round picks in the next two drafts—he’s the quarterback of the future. I’m not optimistic for Mills, who did have a 102.4 passer rating in his last five starts as a rookie. But that’s why they play the games.
The way Smith sees it, Stingley is actually a good fit for his Tampa 2 scheme.
“In an ideal world, you win or lose games based on how you can play man coverage,” Smith told reporters during rookie minicamp on May 13. “If you look at our defense, we play man, we play three-deep, we play quarters, we play two, we blitz. We have a multiple package. Most of the ones that our defense calls out are corners by himself. If you have a guy that you feel comfortable covering their best receiver at that slot, it allows you to do some things.”
Across the rest of the AFC South, Jacksonville Jaguars were three spots ahead of the Texans at No. 29 with better coaching and skill positions around Trevor Lawrence as being the reason. The Indianapolis Colts were ranked No. 21. The Tennessee Titans were the 12th-best team in the NFL even though King noted the team’s “offensive competency in big spots.”
