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.
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