HOUSTON – The last time the Texans played in an actual football game, they were trudging out of the snow into a somber visitors locker room at Gillette Stadium.
It was an extremely rough day for the Texans as they lost for the third year in a row in the AFC divisional round of the playoffs.
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Since that setback against the New England Patriots in January, the Texans have followed a concerted plan to fortify and upgrade their roster.
The state of the Texans is a positive one. The Texans are a contender with a talented roster that appears to be on the cusp of breaking through on the heels of an offseason spending spree and several key contract extensions.
The Texans didn’t just run it back with the same squad. They added multiple new players and made some expensive financial investments.
The primary roster-boosting agenda: upgrade the offensive line and running game with proven, hard-nosed veterans to complement quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Basically, the goal was to improve the offense to go with the top-ranked defense in the league.
Between retaining offensive guard Ed Ingram on a three-year, $37.5 million contract and bolstering the line with right tackle Braden Smith on a two-year, $25 million deal and former All-Pro guard Wyatt Teller for two years, $23 million and trading with the Detroit Lions to acquire running back David Montgomery and signing him to a two-year, $16.5 million contract and adding former Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship on a three-year, $24.75 million deal and former University of Houston defensive lineman Logan Hall on a two-year, $13.75 million deal with $9 million guaranteed, it’s been a whirlwind of additions.
The Texans also retained right guard Ed Ingram on a three-year, $37.5 million contract, signed All-Pro edge Will Anderson Jr. to a record-setting three-year, $150 million contract extensions, Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to a three-year, $54 million deal, All-Pro defensive end Danielle Hunter to a one-year, $40.1 million extension and tight end Dalton Schultz to a one-year, $12.1 million extension.
And the Texans made Ka’imi Fairbairn one of the highest paid kickers in the NFL on a deal averaging $6.5 million annually and executed a two-year, $17 million deal for veteran defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins.
The Texans haven’t shied away from openly discussing Super Bowl ambitions.
“We’re just ready to kick it off,” running back Woody Marks told KPRC 2. “We’re going to see what we get to. The thing is to get a bull on the ring, be the first team. That’s what we’re going to do this year.”
Under the leadership of coach DeMeco Ryans, the Texans have made the playoffs three consecutive years and won one playoff game annually. They’ve won 32 games since hiring the former Texans Pro Bowl linebacker and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and won two AFC South division titles, ranking sixth in regular-season wins during Ryans’ tenure.
They’re looking for a breakthrough this year and feel confident in the winning environment they’ve established heading into organized team activities this week. Their offseason schedule ends with a full-team mandatory minicamp June 9 to June 11.
“Our culture here is set,” Ryans said. “I don’t have to say much on it but I still have to make sure I teach our rookies what that looks like. A lot of guys are coming from a lot of different places all over the country, a lot of different schools that do things a lot of different ways.
“We’re just going to have to let them know how we do it here in Houston. It may be a little different but we believe in what we do here. We think it works. We build it around the people.”
Texans first-round draft pick Keylan ‘Big Red’ Rutledge, an offensive guard and center drafted 26th overall, said that Ryans’ message is resonating.
“He just has a joy for the game, a true love for the game,” Rutledge said. “You can tell. It just feeds off you. He loves ball. He loves being around it. He loves preparing young men. You can just feel that joy and that love for the game.”
The Texans spent a lot of time evaluating where they stood after a difficult ending to the season. The conclusion: try to maintain the bulk of the roster while adding key chess pieces to the equation.
“It was hard because you really felt like we were there,” Texans chief community officer Hannah McNair said. “And you had all the opportunities. It was hard to come up short. I think our defense, they played incredible. I think our offense really tried to go out and give their best, came up short. I think everybody has taken that and taken it into the offseason and are working really hard. DeMeco likes a certain type of player, and I think you see that on the roster.
“They work hard. They have the swarm mentality. When you look at our roster and even the offseason, the ones we’ve added, I think you’re seeing it’s those type of guys that he likes on this team. I think they’ve been working hard in the offseason. I think we’ll get better.”
The Texans finished 12-5 in the regular season, including a nine-game winning streak, after an 0-3 start. They became the seventh team in the Super Bowl era to make the playoffs after going winless in the first three games. They won seven of those nine games in one-possession games and earned the wild-card spot. They won their first road playoff game in franchise history.
“We won a lot of games in a row, which were awesome,” Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair said. “We came back against Jacksonville in that game to start us on that streak. So, there were a lot of good things, too. That shouldn’t get lost.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com