Value of Things: Texans salary crunch

The Azeez Al-Shaair contract demonstrated one thing. There is still money available for players that perform at a high level. Include Will Anderson in that conversation and there are a lot of Texans on the defensive side of the football that have been paid very well for being arguably the best defense in the NFL last season. They added Reed Blankenship in free agency and Kaiden McDonald in the draft so, it would seem there is no stopping the Texans.

Unfortunately, the next domino to fall will tell the whole story about the direction of this franchise. C.J. Stroud is eligible for an extension, but the Texans have decided to punt an extension for now. That decision has both positive and negative ramifications. On the positive side, they can theoretically continue to spend money around the quarterback. They can continue to beef up the defense. They can continue to beef up the offensive line. They can add skill position players. However, they cannot do all of those things AND sign Stroud to a megadeal like other quarterbacks have gotten.

I’ve hashed and rehashed the Stroud end of the equation here before and don’t feel the need to do it again. All that being said, the moves that Nick Caserio has made through free agency and the draft point to a potential direction of this team that could be independent of a franchise quarterback. That seems like a counterintuitive action to take in the modern NFL, but let’s consider all of the facts before we completely dismiss the idea.

Six Pro Bowl defenders?

I’d have to do the research, but I can’t remember too many defenses that have had five or more Pro Bowlers on it. We know that Anderson and Daniele Hunter are Pro Bowl level defenders. Derek Stingley has been to the Pro Bowl a couple of times and is arguably one of the top three or four corners in football. Shaair just made his first Pro Bowl last season and Jalen Pitre also was the top rated safety according to PFF. All five of those players have been paid.

Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock are next up on the docket following the season. You absolutely will not be able to pay Lassiter, Bullock, and Stroud all at the same time. Bullock has nine interceptions in his career and has settled in as a pretty good ball hawk deep in the secondary. Some might say he is not quite at a Pro Bowl level, but if he takes a leap forward from year two to year three he could be that sixth Pro Bowler.

However, it is Lassiter that is that guy. There were many (me included) that thought he had a better year than Stingley last season. He technically went to the Pro Bowl after some starters dropped out. He has seven interceptions in two seasons and will probably be voted in if he has another season like he had last year. If you had seven Pro Bowlers on the same defense you would have to imagine them being the best in the league again and that doesn’t even include whatever McDonald has to contribute.

New Offensive Direction

I’m not sure we can say the direction the offense is moving in is different so much as they execution is different. DeMeco Ryans has always said this is a tough and physical football team. In his first three seasons the offense never matched that moniker. Ultimately, you are who your personnel says you are. The Texans had a group of finesse lineman that were built for pass protection. That started to shift some with the trade of Laremy Tunsil and that continued this offseason with the Tytus Howard trade.

Yet, it was the beefing up of the interior of the line that pushed this whole thing forward. Include David Montgomery at running back and you have the makings of a whole new smashmouth offense. The Texans have the look of a team that could theoretically run the ball 30 to 35 times a game easily between Montgomery and second year running back Woody Marks. Jahwar Jordan and British Brooks even showed they could run it last season as well.

In a system that can lead the league in fewest points allowed and a team that can run the ball that many times, you can see the way Ryans wants to win football games. You win the turnover battle, hold the opposition to under 20 points, and grind out wins. Nowhere in that formula does it mention elite quarterback play. Obviously, you will need a guy that can take care of the ball and make good decisions, but you don’t need a top five or top ten quarterback to do that.

Maybe Stroud is Extra

In my earlier pieces on Stroud, I continually asked if he was really a top ten quarterback. Based on the first three years total he has not been. This is a slightly different point. This point shows that it might be irrelevant. You might not need him to be. If that is the case then you cannot afford to pay him 50+ million a season because that would mean you can’t afford all of those other pieces that make it possible not to need a franchise quarterback.

It might seem counterintuitive not to have a franchise quarterback, but imagine a world without one. With such a quarterback you are always dependent on them playing well in any condition. Defense doesn’t care whether it is cold, wet, windy, or perfect weather. A running game doesn’t care about the weather. If you are simply tougher than the other team you aren’t reliant on one guy carrying you over the finish line. Maybe that is the way to get past the divisional round. Either way, this year might be the best time to have all of it under one roof.