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Deshaun Watson has talked about nothing but the Super Bowl the past week. He even has some huge expectations for the Texans coming soon. Watson wants to retire with more rings than Brady, as he said in an NFL interview at Minnesota last week. For Watson, this off-season is about getting better. Not just for himself, but for the team. The Eagles proved that an inferior team can beat the great and mighty Patriots. They exposed their defense, something not many quarterbacks can do (Watson did this in their previous matchup).
We have noticed that the Texans have been on the rebuilding side of things, but not on a scale in which I would say it is a complete rebuild. The Texans gave up two picks to draft their franchise QB (something a rebuilding team would not give up), and it has paid off. The Texans are one of the youngest (Top 5 to be exact, as new free agents have technically been signed to practice squads, so these numbers haven’t been reflected just yet) teams in the league. They have the youth with them to build and be the best team in the league for the next few years. It all comes down to player development (which the Texans are above average at). Watson knows this is his team and will have no fear going into week 1 not knowing if he’ll get the start or not. This is comforting for the franchise as the Texans haven’t had a sure #1 going into the year in a while (and I’m not counting Brock as this list because… Well yeah). The team is going younger and are developing their talent internally rather than buying on the market, which is helpful but does not take this team to the next step. The Texans have been struggling to find big name free agents to come down and put them above the mediocre level to elite.
The offseason/draft will be huge events for the Texans as they will need a veteran presence on the defensive side of things such as a 2nd string CB. Joseph is aging (still an elite individual, but age will catch up soon), and Kareem has been having up and down weeks. As far as a 3rd string? Kevin Johnson will need to develop into a top tier player for the Texans to keep putting him in and earn that 1st round pick status. The Texans don’t usually whiff on the defensive side of things in the draft, and I don’t believe KJ will be one of those whiffs. The Texans also need an offensive line rehaul, and a veteran backup QB who can guide Watson, and also become a person to lean on, as Nick Foles just showed how valuable a backup can be. The Texans are in for a rehaul, and this season starts the new Watson era.
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