The Houston Texans are going all-in on building a Super Bowl-contending roster right now, two seasons removed from a 3-13-1 season. What allows the Texans to do this? A plethora of young talent.
Pro Football Focus ranked every team's top three players on their rosters heading into the 2024 NFL season. For the Texans, the answer was quite shocking.
According to PFF, Houston's top three players are quarterback C.J. Stroud, wide receiver Nico Collins and defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
The biggest takeaway from the team's three best players is simply their age. Stroud and Anderson Jr. were both the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year. They're both 22 years old. Collins is entering his fourth season and is 25 years old. The youth movement has been everything for the Texans, giving them the needed flexibility to acquire more talent around the young star quarterback to push toward Super Bowl contention.
During his rookie season, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns with just five interceptions. The Ohio State product is a superstar in the making. The team added Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon to his already-impressive offense.
"C.J. Stroud had an incredible rookie season campaign and posted an 83.1 overall grade on the year. He recorded the third-most completions of 20-plus yards (32) with the lowest turnover-worthy play rate when throwing that distance," PFF wrote.
Collins is also among the team's best. In his third season with the franchise, He caught 80 passes for 1,297 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games. He'll continue as Houston's top target within a loaded offense.
"Wide receiver Nico Collins was on the receiving end of a lot of those big passes, earning the team's lone elite offensive grade (91.0. He shattered his career bests in basically every receiving category," PFF continued.
The Texans are a well-rounded young franchise, so it is no shock that another one of the team's top players comes on the defensive side of the ball. Anderson Jr. finished with seven sacks and 45 tackles during his rookie season, adding 22 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for loss.
"Rookie pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. chipped in with an 82.6 overall grade, a 77.4 run-defense grade and a 76.6 pass-rush grade," PFF wrote.
Overall, the Texans' loaded roster being led by young talents is the reason for flexibility and happens to be the biggest reason the team is going all-in on making a Super Bowl.
