Writing about the roster right now feels like projecting where Lewis and Clark were going when they were still in Iowa. We are still very much in the ingredients procurement stage of this meal but we're getting there.
Is that too much metaphorical usage for you in the early going of this piece?
Let's try this - You know those new ramps they're building at the West Loop and 59 interchange and you had no idea what they were doing? Well, now it's making more sense, right?
Unlike road construction you can't just look up Nick Caserio's plan on a TxDOT website. We certainly don't have it all laid out here. Believe me, I've looked!
The Lewis and Clark analogy is pretty good. The Texans want to build a winning team but the route is going to be filled with rocky terrain and unexpected challenges. You're not always going to land all the free agents you want. Or certain players you covet in the draft could get snatched up before you get a shot at them.
But you keep going. Caserio has already made dozens of transactions and the team has been reshaped. Players like Shaq Lawson, Marcus Cannon, Mark Ingram and Tyrod Taylor, to name a few, will walk through the door and the locker room will feel different and be different.
With Lovie Smith at the helm of the defense, it'll have his signature on the work. He brought the Bears to a Super Bowl and an NFC Championship game. Tim Kelly is still the offensive coordinator and he has plenty of new help under head coach David Culley, an offensive mentor who's only been a part of one losing season in the last ten years (more on Culley in a future piece. I'm not sure people truly understand the depth of knowledge and experience he brings to the table).
Kelly will have Passing Game Coordinator and QB Coach Pep Hamilton, who 'OC'd' the Colts to the AFC Championship game in '14 (we'll forgive him for that!), to add to the mix. With all the new weapons they have to work with, this will be interesting.
We're not close to being done. It's like going to one of those pizza places and you see your pie in the fire brick oven. "Is it ready yet?"
Okay, I'll stop with the metaphors and analogies (no, never).
The Houston Texans roster in photos. (Updated 4/16/2021)
TE, Jordan Akins, #88
TE, Antony Auclair
DL, Auzoyah Alufohai, #98
DB, Cornell Armstrong, #30
DL, Ross Blacklock, #90
OL, Justin Britt
DB, Terrence Brooks
TE, Pharaoh Brown, #85
OL, Cohl Cabral, #72
OL, Marcus Cannon
WR, Randall Cobb, #18
DL, Maliek Collins
WR, Chris Conley
WR, Brandin Cooks, #13
WR, Isaiah Coulter, #82
WR, Keke Coutee, #16
DB, Keion Crossen, #35
LB, Zach Cunningham, #41
LB, Tae Davis
DL, Brandon Dunn, #92
LB, Duke Ejiofor, #53
WR, Alex Erickson
K, Ka'imi Fairbairn, #7
QB, Ryan Finley
OL, Hjalte Froholdt, #77
LB, Jonathan Greenard, #52
LB, Kamu Grugier-Hill
LB, Nate Hall, #48
DB, Vernon Hargreaves III, #26
OL, Charlie Heck, #67
RB, Dontrell Hilliard, #27
OL, Tytus Howard, #71
RB, Buddy Howell, #38
RB, Mark Ingram
TE, Ryan Izzo
LB, Jordan Jenkins
RB, David Johnson, #31
DL, Jaleel Johnson
DB, Lonnie Johnson Jr., #32
P, Cameron Johnston
DB, Desmond King
LB, Christian Kirksey
DL, Shaq Lawson
RB, Phillip Lindsay
LB, Jacob Martin, #54
OL, Justin McCray
LB, Whitney Mercilus, #59
DB, Terrance Mitchell
WR, Donte Moncrief
DB, A.J. Moore Jr., #33
WR, Chris Moore
DB, Eric Murray, #23
LB, Hardy Nickerson
DL, Charles Omenihu, #94
DB, Jonathan Owens, #36
LB, Kevin Pierre-Louis
RB, Scottie Phillips, #40
TE, Paul Quessenberry
DB, John Reid, #34
DB, Justin Reid, #20
DL, Derek Rivers
WR, Andre Roberts
DB, Bradley Roby, #21
OL, Max Scharping, #74
DB, Tremon Smith
OL, Jordan Steckler
OL, Lane Taylor
QB, Tyrod Taylor
DL, Vincent Taylor
LB, Joe Thomas
DB, Tavierre Thomas
OL, Cole Toner
OL, Laremy Tunsil, #78
DL, MeMarcus Walker
TE, Kahale Warring, #81
QB, Deshaun Watson, #4
LS, Jon Weeks #46
