TEXANS FANTASY NEWS

February 23, 2006 1:00 PM ET

In 2002, the Houston Texans entered the NFL with a new coach and the first overall pick in the draft. Four years later, the franchise finds itself right back where it started, thanks to an abysmal 2-14 regression in a season they fully anticipated to play competitive football.

New coach Gary Kubiak has several talented components in place, notably at the skill positions. However, there are so many holes to fill—specifically on an offensive line that's allowed a spleen-busting 229 sacks in four seasons and on a defense that will be transitioning from a 3-4 to a 4-3—that whomever the squad tabs with the top pick won't be enough to right the ship.

That said, the Texans have some cap room and the first pick in every round of the draft—plus the Saints' third-round pick, thanks to a trade last year—so they should be able to make strides this season on the road back to respectability.

Needs
As Dan Dierdorf is fond of spewing, "It all thstarths up front." The Texans flirted with Orlando Pace last season and were ultimately rebuffed, then opted to pass on Jammal Brown and Alex Barron in last year's draft. The result? Another beating for quarterback David Carr, who absorbed 68 sacks last year alone—running his 60-game NFL total to 208. For comparison, it would take Peyton Manning another three-and-a-half seasons at last year's sack rate—almost 12 seasons—to match Carr's level of abuse.

Obviously, last year's shuffling didn't work. Ideally, the Texans would be in line to select D'Brickashaw Ferguson in the draft, but with the top pick they're almost forced to take either Heisman winner Reggie Bush or hometown hero Vince Young—despite the presence of talented young players at those positions already. Nonetheless, the offensive line should be the focus of Houston's offseason push for talent.

The team exercised its option on Carr, locking him up for another three seasons, so they should be set at quarterback. Tony Banks is a serviceable backup, and the possibility exists that Houston could draft Young, train him for a year behind Carr, then deal Carr and go with Vince. Developmental quarterback Dave Ragone is a restricted free agent, and it's doubtful the Texans will put up much of a fight to keep him around.

Running back Domanick Davis has been injury prone but productive in his three seasons, and he's under contract through 2009; however, like Carr he could be dealt depending on what the Texans do in the draft. One rumor had Davis heading to Minnesota in a deal that would net the Texans wideout Troy Williamson, which would certainly address a need in the passing game. However, that's purely speculation at this juncture. Regardless of which tailback the Texans keep, they'll need to address the need for an inside runner if unrestricted free agent Jonathan Wells departs.

The passing game has been desperate for a second option opposite Andre Johnson, and with both Jabar Gaffney and Corey Bradford unrestricted free agents there will be openings in Houston. Burner Jerome Mathis showed flashes during his rookie season, but expect Kubiak to address receiver depth either via the draft or low-level free agents. Tight ends haven't factored into the Texans' game plan since Billy Miller's first season, and currently they have a pair of block-first tight ends in Mark Bruener and Marcellus Rivers. However, should Bennie Joppru finally be healthy, he could fill the need for a pass-catcher internally.

Defensively, where to begin? Former coach Dom Capers tried to assemble a zone-blitzing 3-4 unit without much success, and the talent pool that remains is a poor fit for Kubiak's plan to move to the 4-3. There seems to be a glut of defensive tackles and a dearth of true ends, as Capers' scheme focused on pass-rushing outside linebackers. The linebacking corps suffered without tackle leaders Jamie Sharper and Jay Foreman, and the secondary outside of Dunta Robinson had some problems.

Like we said, plenty of holes to fill.

Salary Cap Situation
After picking the option on Carr's contract, the Texans are approximately $7 million under the projected $92 million salary cap for 2006, according to NFL.com.

Unrestricted Free Agents
RB Jonathan Wells, WR Jabar Gaffney, WR Corey Bradford, TE Matt Murphy, G Milford Brown, LB DaShon Polk, LB Troy Evans, LB Frank Chamberlin, CB Jason Bell, S Ramon Walker

Restricted Free Agents
QB Dave Ragone, WR Derick Armstrong, T Seth Wand, DE Antwan Peek, LB Shantee Orr, LS Bryan Pittman

Free Agent Signings
None.

The Draft
Bush or Young? Vince or Reggie?

Had Kris Brown not demonstrated all the accuracy of Dick Cheney with a rifle, the Texans would be situated perfectly to address their biggest need—offensive line help—and take Ferguson. However, now they find themselves backed into a corner, forced to take an elite player at a position where they don't necessarily need help.

Trading down is certainly an option, but the Texans already find themselves battling the public-relations battle of not taking a Houston native who led his team to the national title with one of the single greatest individual efforts in college football history; imagine what the natives would do if Kubiak passed on both Bush and Young.

So the decision is between the next Gale Sayers and the next Steve McNair. All indications point towards the Texans taking Bush, which could very well necessitate a trade of Davis—which, in turn, might net them another draft pick.

After that first-round debate is settled, the Texans will have several more first-day opportunities to address their needs. Houston has the Saints' third-round pick thanks to a trade on draft day 2005, which gives them a total of four picks among the first 40 selections. There should be plenty of offensive line help available in round two and perhaps even into round three; there's also the potential to address the tight end need in what should be a very deep class at that position, and defensive needs abound as well.

Suffice it to say that whomever the Texans select will need to step into the lineup and contribute immediately, lest the team find themselves in the same position next offseason.

Injury Watch
Miraculously, Carr absorbed another 68 sacks last year and lived to tell about it; Tina Turner in Ike's prime didn't get banged around as much. But $8 million a year buys a lot of band-aids, and Carr will be back under center for another season. Both Davis and Wells finished last season on injured reserve; Wells is a UFA who may not be back, and Davis may find himself behind Bush on the depth chart. Johnson was slowed much of the season by an assortment of leg injuries, but nothing so serious that he won't be ready to roll at minicamp. Mathis battled hamstring problems early on but recovered enough to earn a spot in the Pro Bowl as a kick returner. Getting him on the field with Johnson certainly stretches defenses, and the Texans will want to make sure he stays healthy. The one player the Texans would love to see healthy is tight end Bennie Joppru, a third-round pick in 2003 who has yet to see NFL action thanks to a groin injury that kept him out his first two seasons and a torn ACL suffered in last year's minicamp. If he can stay healthy, the former Michigan product could provide another threat in the passing game, lessening the load on Johnson.

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