Houston Texans

The Texans finished a game behind the Jaguars last season in the division and made the playoffs.  They had an elite defense and if CJ Stroud hadn’t melted down in the playoffs, they would have gone much further.  They are hoping some changes along the offensive line, the return of Tank Dell, and the second year in Nick Caley’s offense can get the offense back on track.  The defense might be even better this year than they were last year, that’s a scary thought if you’re the rest of the AFC. 

QB CJ Stroud is at a pivotal point in his career as the Texans have to decide what to do with his contract situation soon.  He’s going into year four and the team will have his fifth-year option, but they need to know if he’s going to be good enough when it counts.  The defense is Super Bowl level at this point; Stroud has to be a big part of making the offense good enough to get there.  His playoff meltdown could have been just a bad run or it’s who he is when the lights are brightest.  I think with a better run game and improved offensive line, we will see the real Stroud this season. 

The passing game was set to have Nico Collins leading the way with Jayden Higgins ready to break out and for Tank Dell to return as one of Stroud’s favorite targets.  Higgins went down with an ACL tear, and Dell isn’t ready to return to start the season.  His horrific knee injury from 2024 is keeping him out. Now they will be counting on Kayshon Boutte, who they recently traded for and Jaylin Noel, who is also dealing with injury issues.  Collins can carry a heavy load, but he will need some help.  Boutte can be a real player, but he’s barely been there to learn the offense.  Dalton Schultz isn’t a play maker at TE but he’s a solid veteran. 

The offensive line has had another makeover with only LT Aireontae Ersery and RG Ed Ingram returning as starters from last year’s overhauled unit.  They brought in aging veterans RT Braden Smith and LG Wyatt Teller.  Smith is starting the season on IR and Teller is a backup.  Rookie Keylan Rutledge was drafted in round one with the thought he could be their starting center, instead he’ll start at LG.  He brings power and nastiness to the interior but he’s still a rookie.  They signed Evan Brown as interior depth but he’ll start at center for now.  Trent Brown is still hanging around and he holds onto the RT job until Braden Smith gets healthy, and maybe past that. 

The biggest upgrade this offense made this off season was trading for RB David Montgomery from Detroit. Montgomery isn’t flashy but he’s far more consistent than anyone the Texans had last year at RB.  He can bring power to the run game they just didn’t have.  Woody Marks handled the job at the end of last season but he’s not an every down back.  Marks now becomes the change-of-pace player he’s meant to be.  Montgomery’s arrival makes the whole position better and will take a lot of pressure off Stroud. 

The defense was fantastic last year, and DC Matt Burke deserves a lot of credit after he took over play calling on that side of the ball.  DeMeco Ryans is a brilliant defensive mind but allowing Burke to take over so Ryans could focus on being the head coach really helped the group overall.  They return everyone from last year’s team and the only change is S Reed Blankenship coming over from Philadelphia. 

The defense starts up front with DE Will Anderson Jr. being the tone setter and DE Danielle Hunter being an absolute menace off the edge.  Sheldon Rankins seems to fit the Texans style as well as anyone can, and he excels playing in Houston.  Tommy Togiai stepped up last season as the big body inside but he’s going to have to fend off rookie Kayden McDonald, who can be a real game wrecker.  If that wasn’t enough, the Texans added veterans DE Jadeveon Clowney, DT Logan Hall, and DE Dominique Robinson to strengthen their depth.  This defensive front is stacked. 

MLB Azeez Al-Shaair and LB Henry To’o To’o are not the scariest pair of LBs in football, but they are in a great situation behind that defensive front.  They play their positions well and don’t get beat.  They tackle everything that gets through and are always in position.  They aren’t making Pro Bowls, but they’re good players.

The secondary isn’t as deep as the front four is now, but they have elite talent.  CB Derek Stingley is one of the top three CBs in football.  He’s able to match up with any receiver in the league and that’s as valuable as any CB can possibly be.  CB Kamari Lassiter may not be as good as Stingley but don’t tell him that.  He plays with a confidence and an edge not many CBs have.  He’s continued to get better every year, and he and Stingley might be the best CB duo in the game.  Jalen Pitre never quite fit as a true safety but he found his place as their nickel player.  He excels there and makes their defense work.  Calen Bullock was a steal in the third round of the draft a couple of years ago and he’s a good starter at SS.  Reed Blankenship comes in at FS and while he isn’t the best FS in football, he’s a smart, instinctive player who should be awesome in this defense. 

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars won the division last season and while their offense should continue to grow in Liam Coen’s second season, there are issues on defense and maybe a question or two on offense to sort out.  It took a little time last year, but Coen got the offense working once WR Jakobi Meyers showed up.  The best thing that happened to the coaching staff was defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile not getting a head coaching job, he did a great job last season. 

Trevor Lawrence looked good in Coen’s offense once he had some WRs he could trust.  The trade for Jakobi Meyers at the trade deadline last season was the key.  Before that, Brian Thomas Jr. was simply not good, and Travis Hunter was a non-factor.  Lawrence really didn’t trust anyone but Parker Washington and RB Travis Etienne.  Once Meyers arrived the offense found another gear.   Lawrence has always been a talented player but for the first time in his career, the offensive scheme, the play caller, and the talent around him, all meshed together. 

At WR, Parker Washington became Lawrence’s go-to WR.  His ability to get open, run the right routes, and simply be reliable are elite.  Jakobi Meyers turned out to be the key that unlocked the offense because he catches everything and he took some of the defensive attention away from Washington.  Now Coen needs to figure out how to get Brian Thomas Jr. back to being the guy he was as a rookie.  BTJ is a supremely talented WR who brings a different dimension than Washinton or Meyers due to his size and deep speed.  If Coen can unlock Thomas, this offense finds fifth gear and the Jaguars passing game will be flying.  Travis Hunter will still get to play some at WR but he’s moving to CB as his primary position.   

The offensive line was better under Coen last year than it had been but apparently the coaching staff had some different ideas from last year.  Anton Harrison had to fill in at LT early in training camp due to some injury issues and now he’s flipping full-time from RT to LT.  The injury issue was with Cole Van Lanan who stepped in for Walker Little at LT last year, now Little is slated for RT with Van Lanan as the swing tackle.  Those aren’t the only moving parts. Ezra Cleveland is moving RG from LG and rookie Emmanuel Pregnon will be the LG.  That leaves Patrick Makari, who was a big free agent signing of theirs a year ago, coming off the bench once he’s healthy.  That means the only starter from last year playing the same spot is C Robert Hainsey.  If all these changes work, Coen will look like an even bigger offensive genius. 

The running game last year was built around Travis Etienne and he was excellent.  He got a huge contract in the off season in New Orleans so now it’s up to Bhayshul Tuten to step up.  Tuten flashed some skill last year, but he’ll be a much bigger part of the plan now.  Chris Rodriguez Jr., who played at Kentucky for Coen, was signed to give them a guy with more size because Tuten is a smaller back.  LeQuint Allen Jr. is the third down back they like.  This is very likely to be a committee approach for the Jaguars. 

Anthony Campanile came in last year, took pretty much the same players the Jaguars had before, and turned them into a pretty good defense.  Now, almost everyone returns but there are a couple of changes, and the team expects Campanile to do it again.  I’m not saying he can’t but losing Devin Lloyd isn’t going to be easy to replace.

The front four is led by Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker at DE.  While neither of them had the individual seasons they would hope to have, the defense was still good.  If these two can increase their sack totals the defense will be even better.  At DT, Arik Armstead and DaVon Hamilton return.  While Armstead isn’t the dominant player, he once was, he’s still an affective player.  Hamilton does his job too.  The team traded for Ruke Orhorhoro from Atlanta.  He wasn’t good for the Falcons, but they are hoping a change of scenery unlocks him.  At least he adds some youth to the group inside.   

The LB group took a major hit when Devin Lloyd signed in Carolina.  He was the heart and soul of the defense and leader in the middle.  Foyesade Oluokun returns but they are counting on Ventrell Miller to really step up his game.  They know they need more than that so they signed Jahlani Tavai as veteran free agent who at least brings some playing experience to the group.  If the front four drops off at all, this LB group could struggle. 

The secondary found a player in Montaric Brown who had a breakout season last year.  He played well at one outside CB spot, and they re-signed him to keep him there.  Travis Hunter will still get some plays at WR but he’s going to become a full-time CB this year and should be the starter opposite Brown.  This should have been the play with him from the start but better late than never.  Jourdan Lewis played well at nickel last season so that leaves Jarrion Jones as a nice depth piece.  Antonio Johnson and Eric Murray are the most non-descript safety tandem I can think of, but they were fine there last year.  With Hunter playing CB full-time, they upgraded the talent level at that spot so that should help. 

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts offense was awesome for about eight weeks last season and then fell off a cliff.  They were hoping they could recreate that magic by bringing back Daniel Jones despite his torn Achilles.  Jones seems to have made a miraculous recovery and looks like he’ll start in week 1.  The problem is the rest of the passing game is house of cards and pieces are falling quickly.  Jonathan Taylor is a work horse, but it may be too much even for him.  The defense has some massive holes to fill and major questions filling them. 

Daniel Jones must be superhuman given his ridiculous timeline coming back from the torn Achilles tendon.  However, we don’t know what he will look like on the field and how good he might be.  The offense started to fall apart last season before he tore the Achilles but after he suffered other injuries that compromised his athleticism.  Just because he’s ready to play week one, that doesn’t mean he’ll be the guy he was before the injuries last year. 

At WR, the Colts traded away their most consistent player in Michael Pittman Jr. in order to save some money to re-sign Alec Pierce.  Pierce is a big-time playmaker down the field but he had surgery, after he signed his major deal, and still hasn’t returned to the field since.  The team signed Keenan Allen late in camp hoping to bring in a vet who could acclimate quickly.  He once played for Shane Steichen when Steichen was the Chargers OC.  He’s still a useful player but he just got picked up for drunk driving after the last pre-season game.  Josh Downs is banged up, and he might be their most reliable WR to start the season.  Early on, it may be Ashton Dulin time again.  At TE, Tyler Warren is an excellent player be he may have to shoulder a lot of responsibility in this offense early in the year.

The offensive line was good last year, and four of five starters return.  LT Bernhard Raimann has developed into a very good player.  LG Quenton Nelson may not be the dominant force he once was at his peak but he’s still a very good player.  C Tanor Bortalini and RG Matt Goncalves stepped in as starters last year after the team lost Ryan Kelly and Will Fries.  They had planned on that transition to get younger on the line.  This year, they let RT Braden Smith leave and are counting on Jalen Travis to step in.  Travis was a fourth-round pick in 2025, and they are hoping he develops like their other young guys.  There is no reason to doubt that he will.

The running game is in the capable hands of Jonathan Taylor who is one of the best RBs in the league.  He was incredible to start the season last year and they hope he can do that all year this year.  Taylor can be an absolutely dominant runner and can certainly carry a heavy load.   The team drafted Seth McGowan in round seven this year to go with DJ Giddens from last year’s draft to back up Taylor.  Neither one will be counted on to do much, but McGowan has some upside.

The defense is where this team could fall apart.  Lou Anarumo is a smart defensive coordinator but there are some major questions for him to answer with his front seven. The secondary has a chance to be excellent if everyone stays healthy but if they can’t find a pass rush or their LBs are getting run over, it won’t matter how good the defensive backfield is. 

Up front, DE Laiatu Latu is by far their best pass rusher and while he more than doubled his rookie year sack total last year in year two, he still only had 8.5 sacks.  They signed Arden Key to give them a veteran opposite him but he’s not a big sack guy either.  Jaylahn (formerly JT) Tuimoloua didn’t contribute much last year as a rookie, he’s the third end. It would be helpful if DeForest Buckner could stay healthy all season but he’s a 32-year-old DT who’s played a lot of games in his career.  DT Grover Stewart is the other DT and he’s even older (he’ll be 33 this season).  Guys like these two don’t tend to get healthier with age.  There’s not much depth here and if either of the starters goes down, this defense could get ugly. 

The LB corps is on even shakier ground than the front four.  I was a big fan of CJ Allen as a prospect, and he has upside as a starter at MLB.  However, he’s a rookie and playing behind a suspect defensive front can be challenging for rookie LBs, just ask the Bengals.  An even bigger issue is their next best LB is probably fellow rookie Bryce Boettcher who could start next to Allen.  They have veteran Akeem Davis-Gaither, who played in Cincinnati for Anarumo but he’s not a great option, just a more experienced one. 

The secondary can be the strength of the defense if their CB group is healthy.  They traded multiple picks for CB Sauce Gardner last year and he promptly got injured and never really contributed.  Charvarius Ward is their other outside starter and he’s good, but he’s been banged up too.  The guy they are counting on to be the slot guy is Justin Walley, a draft pick from 2025 they really love but he missed his rookie year with a knee injury.  Cam Bynum is exactly the type of high football IQ safety Anarumo loves, and he can be excellent in this defense.  Rookie AJ Haulcy got a chance in training camp to play with the starters due to some injuries, and it looks like he’s taken over the starting job opposite Bynum.

Tennessee Titans

To say the Titans are in a transition year would be a major understatement.  Robert Saleh gets his second chance at being a head coach and he’s counting on Brian Daboll to get the offense going.  Saleh has some players to work with on defense, and they shouldn’t be bad on that side, I’m not saying they will be good, but they shouldn’t be bad.  The offense has some questions, the line has some holes, the WR group might have issues, and the RBs are average. 

Brian Daboll’s top priority is getting Cam Ward going in the right direction.  Ward has a ton of physical talent, and the guy does not lack for confidence.  He’ll try any throw, but he needs guys to make plays on the other end.  If Daboll can give him some easy throws and make the offense simpler and easier, it would allow Ward to use his physical gifts more. 

The hope is that Wan’Dale Robinson can come in and be as productive as he was in New York last season under Daboll.  Robinson isn’t going to be a game breaker, but he should give Ward someone to trust in this offense.  Carnell Tate was drafted very high (too high for me anyway) so they are counting on him to give them a playmaker outside.  Robinson should be the slot guy; they need Tate to give them a real threat on the edge.  Calvin Ridley is still here so he’s going to play but he’s aging like milk at this point and can’t be counted on for too much.  Gunnar Helm is the starting TE and he’s fine, but Daboll brought in Daniel Bellinger from the Giants too and perhaps he’ll add a solid target to the equation. 

The offensive line is where things could go very wrong.  They overpaid LG Dan Moore last season so he’s still here and he’ll start.  He’s not terrible but that’s about the best you can say about him.  LG Peter Skoronski is very good, and the Titans gave him a contract extension.  At least one spot on the line is settled.  C Austin Schlottman was in New York with Daboll too and he comes in and gets the starting spot by default; they don’t have anyone better.  Fernando Carmona Jr., a fifth-round rookie, won the RG job out of camp, that’s not a good thing.  JC Latham will return at RT and I’m not sure that’s a good thing either.  He was not good last year and he’s dangerously close to bust territory.  The offensive line doesn’t have much depth, if it did, some of these guys wouldn’t be starting. 

Tony Pollard had the quietest 1000-yard season for a RB ever.  He’s 29 and the Titans are going to try to squeeze at least another solid year out of him.  It would help if they gave him an offensive line to run behind but that’s a problem for next year.  Tyjae Spears was banged up last year and didn’t do much of note.  He’s back but the team drafted Nick Singleton in the draft.  Singleton is a great athlete who could add some pop to this RB group.  They could use that.

On defense, Robert Saleh came in, saw what they had, and started cleaning house.  He runs a different scheme than they had been running so a lot of guys didn’t fit.  He’s significantly overhauled the whole unit, now the question is are the new guys any good? 

Saleh started by trading NT T’Vondre Sweat for DE Jermaine Johnson from the Jets.  Sweat didn’t fit Saleh’s preferred DT mold and Johnson gives him an edge rusher he likes.  Johnson was hurt last year so he’s looking for a bounce back season before hitting free agency.  The Titans signed John Franklin-Myers at DT, he fits Saleh’s scheme quite well.  He’ll partner with the one guy Saleh did keep, DT Jeffrey Simmons.  Simmons is one of the best DTs in football, and it doesn’t matter what scheme he’s playing in, he’s a stud.  Jacob Martin is the other starter at DE; he’s mostly a pass rusher but the team invested in some depth so that should work.  Rookie DE Keldric Faulk, and free agent DTs Solomon Thomas and Jordan Elliott give the defensive front some depth they can really use. 

At LB, Cody Barton seems to have held off second-round pick Anthony Hill Jr. in the middle.  That bodes well for Barton and this defense, but I doubt the competition is over.  Hill is likely the future at the position.  Cedric Gray played well last season and Saleh loves a good LB so if Gray is keeping his starting job, that’s good for him.  Hill and James Williams Sr. give the defense depth and options at LB. 

The secondary got a facelift at CB, but the safeties are back.  Amani Hooker returns at SS; he should work well in Saleh’s defense.  He’s a guy who can come up in the box and support the run.  Kevin Winston Jr. is the FS; he’s a former third-round pick who has some skill.  It will be interesting to see how Saleh uses him.  The team signed Alontae Taylor to be their new top CB.  He played well in New Orleans for the past few years but he’s new to being CB1 full-time.  Another New York Giant followed Daboll to Tennessee, CB Cor’Dale Flott had a good year in New York, and the Titans need him to do it again.  This isn’t a deep secondary, but they spend a lot a time and money fixing other units, they can’t fix everything in one off season.