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.
An image from the Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars NFL week one game at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX on Sep. 12 2021. The Texans won 37-21.
TE, Antony Auclair, #83
DL, Ross Blacklock, #90
OL, Justin Britt, #68
DB, Terrence Brooks, #29
TE, Pharaoh Brown, #85
RB, Rex Burkhead, #28
OL, Marcus Cannon, #61
OL, Geron Christian Sr., #72
DL, Maliek Collins, #97
An image from the Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars NFL week one game at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX on Sep. 12 2021. The Texans won 37-21.
An image from the Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars NFL week one game at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX on Sep. 12 2021. The Texans won 37-21.
LB, Zach Cunningham, #41
DL, Jonathan Greenard, #52
LB, Kamu Grugier-Hill, #51
DB, Vernon Hargreaves III, #26
OL, Charlie Heck, #67
LB, Neville Hewitt, #43
OL, Tytus Howard, #71
An image from the Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars NFL week one game at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX on Sep. 12 2021. The Texans won 37-21.
DL, Jordan Jenkins, #50
RB, David Johnson, #31
DB, Lonnie Johnson Jr., #1
P, Cameron Johnston, #11
TE, Brevin Jordan, #9
DB, Desmond King II, #25
LB, Christian Kirksey, #58
RB, Phillip Lindsay, #30
DL, Roy Lopez, #79
DL, Jacob Martin, #54
OL, Justin McCray, #64
DL, Whitney Mercilus, #59
WR, Anthony Miller, #17
QB, Davis Mills, #10
DB, Terrance Mitchell, #39
DB, Eric Murray, #23
DL, Charles Omenihu, #94
RB, Scottie Phillips, #27
DB, Justin Reid, #20
WR, Andre Roberts, #19
OL, Max Scharping, #74
K, Joey Slye, #16
DB, Tremon Smith, #24
DL, Vincent Taylor, #96
LB, Joe Thomas, #48
DB, Tavierre Thomas, #37
OL, Laremy Tunsil, #78
DL, DeMarcus Walker, #44
An image from the Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars NFL week one game at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX on Sep. 12 2021. The Texans won 37-21.
QB, Deshaun Watson, #4
An image from the Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars NFL week one game at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX on Sep. 12 2021. The Texans won 37-21.
