Hear the full conversation on Texans All-Access, presented on 95.7 The Fan. Listen and subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Nobody in the building watches more opponent tape than the general manager, and when Marc Vandermeer and John Harris asked Nick Caserio for the scouting report on Cincinnati, he gave them the long version.
Caserio on the Bengals' defensive overhaul
"It's a really good program. Zac's done a good job," Caserio said of Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. "Zac's one of the longest-tenured coaches — the longest coach in the AFC North, I think, given how it's constructed."
The bigger story, in Caserio's view, is the personnel turnover on defense under second-year coordinator Al Golden.
"They've done a good job of adding new players, especially defensively," he said. "I think they have eight new players that are involved or playing in some capacity defensively. But overall, this is a really good football team that's well constructed."
He ran the list: "The signing of Lawrence and Allen certainly enhanced their overall defense. Signed Mafe in free agency, who was in Seattle. Drafted Howell in the second round. Murphy was the first-round pick, and even Cedric Johnson. So between the interior and the edge of the defense, they've solidified a really good core."
Caserio also flagged the second-year linebacker duo: "Two young linebackers, Carter and Knight, were both rookies last year, and they were in the top three or four on their team in tackles."
The Dexter Lawrence problem — and the Vince Wilfork comparison
Asked to describe DT Dexter Lawrence II, Caserio reached for a name Houston fans know well.
"I think the Vince comparison is probably pretty apt — just their athleticism," Caserio said, referencing Vince Wilfork. "Dexter has a little bit more length to him, just more natural size. But he's a massive problem. When he's going vertically, it's just hard to contain him."
"I think he's been double-teamed more than any defensive tackle in the league over the last however many years," he added. "He presents a lot of problems, so you have to account for him in some capacity. He has a very unique playing style. He was a great player in New York. Looks like he's going to be a pretty damn good player here in Cincinnati."
Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and an offensive line Caserio says is underrated
"Everything starts with Joe. He does everything well," Caserio said of Joe Burrow. "He's smart. He gets rid of the ball. He has a low turnover rate. He doesn't give the other team the ball."
On Ja'Marr Chase: "The thing that makes Chase difficult is he essentially lines up all over the formation. And he's strong, he's fast, he's a good route runner, he's a good catch-and-run player." Tee Higgins, he added, "is a big chunk player," with Andrei Iosivas and TE Mike Gesicki adding more to the passing game and RB Chase Brown coming off "a breakout season — really a versatile three-down player."
Then Caserio pushed back on the loudest narrative around the Bengals.
"I think that's a good example of there's a bunch of narratives out there that are really false," he said. "Their offensive line has done a good job. They've got Orlando and Mims. Ted Karras has kind of solidified things inside. Ted was a sixth-round draft pick. Now he's been in the league 10, 11 years. He's smart as hell. He's instinctive. He's tough. And then Fairchild looks like he's kind of come on, and then they inserted Risner late. So they have continuity."
"Honestly, I think there's a little bit of a myth about their offensive line," Caserio said. "It's a good, solid group, whatever people think."
Week 1 to Week 2, and the margins Caserio lives by
With a full game of tape on everybody, Caserio explained what actually changes in the second week of a season.
"Everybody's played a full football game now," he said. "There were a lot of players that might not have seen the field in the preseason. And if they're a new player, how are they using them? How are they going to deploy them? What's their philosophy? So you just have more information — but it's still only one game."
The real picture, he said, takes a month: "You're using those first three to four games, the first month. Then you have an idea of, all right, what does your team look like? How are you using the players? Who's involved?"
And the framing that has defined Caserio's entire approach to a season:
"There's really no surprises in this league. People act surprised about what happened, but in the end, whoever plays the best on Sunday, that's the team that's going to win."
"We have the most competitive professional sports league in the world, and the margins are very small," he said. "Each week everybody has the same opportunity. You get one opportunity a week, and it's your job to maximize that opportunity."
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