My early Houston Texans wishlist

Now that the Super Bowl has been played and the season is officially over it's time for fan's everywhere to start thinking about what they want their team to do this off season. Whether it's replacing a coach, upgrading at a position, or just plain getting better all around everyone wants something to be done to make their squad better. As a Texans fan here are my 3 early wishes for the off season.

A Healthy Jadaveon Clowney: After ending his rookie season on the IR the #1 pick of the Texans must comeback completely healthy to make the impact he was intended to. He showed flashes that he could be the type of disruptive force the Texans expected before he injured his knee in the first week of the season. During a preseason game against the Falcons Clowney made a play similar to the one he made against Michigan in college. He was so quick off the defensive line he was basically hitting the RB as the ball was handed off. Then on the next play he sacked Matt Ryan blowing by the left tackle easily to make the play. These are the type of plays the Texans expected out of Clowney when they picked him. If he can get right and stay healthy, the Texans may have the best defense in football next season. Pairing a healthy Clowney with 2 time DPOY JJ Watt would strike fear in the eyes of just about any offense.

The same starting QB for all 16 games: Whether it was under ex Texans had coach Gary Kubiak or new Texans had coach Bill O'Brien the Texans haven't had a QB start every game of the season since what seems like the days of David Carr. I'm going next season will be a  different story though. My hope is that Ryan Mallett starts next season as the Texans starting QB, with Ryan Fitzpatrick backing him up. Mallett showed in just 2 starts he had a better command of the offense Bill O'Brien runs. Mallett will more than likely have plenty of other offers being that he's an unrestricted free agent, but his familiarity and the likelihood that he'll be the starter should be enough to keep him in Houston for at least a couple more years. If the Texans can keep their QB healthy for 16 games they'll have a better chance at being a playoff team and also a contender amongst the league's top teams.

A consistent downfield threat at WR: The Houston Texans have always lacked that break away WR that can take the top off a defense. They dabbled with using ex Eagles WR Denorris Johnson in that role this year and it wasn't as successful as many would've hoped. This past season the Pittsburgh Steelers picked speedster Martavias Bryant in the 4th round. Bryant was the perfect compliment for Ben Rothlisberger's big arm. I'm hoping the Texans can find the same type of player for Ryan Mallett in the draft or free agency this off season. It's no secret amongst those who root for the Texans that picking up chunk yardage has been something they haven't done well for sometime now. Hopefully they get it fixed.

Where the Houston Texans stand heading into the off season

After finishing with a 9-7 and just missing playoffs the Houston Texans now have some serious questions to address this off season. Though first year head coach Bill O'Brien did an excellent job with what he was given, there's no don't the Texans could've been better at more than one position. This off season is going to be crucial if the Texans plan on getting better in the long run. Here's some area's that should be priority for the Texans right away.

The QB Situation: Though the Texans didn't make the playoffs I wouldn't call the season unsuccessful. Bill O'Brien took a 2 win team and turned it into a 9 win team with most of the same personnel. When the Texans made the decision to go with veteran QB Ryan Fitzpatrick many thought they were doomed. He showed he can run an efficient offense given the chance this season. Though he was eventually replaced by Ryan Mallett Fitz did throw 17 TDs to only 8 INTs on the season.

Mallett only started 2 games and was actually playing injured in the second game. He looked more comfy in the offense than Fitz did though.  In Mallett's first start the Texans almost exclusively ran out of the no huddle. Something we didn't see much from Fitz until after Mallett was sidelined for the season. Mallett will likely be the favorite to start in Houston is he resigns there. In my opinion the Texans won't be able to find a better QB where they're positioned in the draft that'll be a starter, so Mallett is probably their best option at this point.

Getting Younger In The Secondary: For the last 2 seasons Jonathan Joseph has dealt with injuries. Though Joseph's made it clear he wants to be a Texan next season it's hard to see that happening without him taking a, drastic pay cut. Joseph is slated to make more money next year than most every CB in football and with the time he's missed I'm not sure the Texans will be willing to fork out that type of money to the veteran. Drafting a CB with their 1st round pick could be the solution to this problem. The Texans have another dilemma on their hands with Kareem Jackson being an unrestricted free agent resigning him should be a real priority. Jackson, the former 1st round pick has shined in defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel's system. He spent time all over the secondary where he played both sides and in the nickel at points this season. One option is to franchise tag Jackson which would lock him up at least this next season. I'd imagine the Texans would rather get him signed long term too, Jackson is the CB the Texans want to build around in the long run.

Inside and Outside Linebacker: Every linebacker on the Texans missed some time this year. The Texans drafted Jadaveon Clowney with the 1st pick of draft but lost him for the season to a knee injury. Later in the year they also lost ILB Brian Cushing for an extended amount of time leaving Brooks Reed and Whitney Mercilus playing more than any other LBs on the team. Reed played what was probably his best season as a pro and the same could be said about Mercilus. Reed is a free agent, and resigning him should probably be the Texans biggest concern. He wad dominant against the run this year for Houston, in my opinion he was the best OLB against the run in any 3-4 scheme. Much like Jonathan Joseph, Brian Cushing is set to make a lot of money for a player who's been battling injury for the last couple seasons. Cushing is more likely to stay because he's actually quite the talent when 100% which was evident by the way he played to close the season after sitting out a couple games. Even with Cushing healthy and Reed resigned the Texans still need to address the other ILB spot that was occupied by many different players this year. The draft is the easiest and cheapest way to take care of this need and finding quality ILBs outside the 1st round is quite common.