Despite being a consistently good playoff team, the Houston Texans need serious upgrades to the roster. C.J. Stroud having to take a step back in his second season and the Texans' disappointing in the playoffs highlighted the roster weaknesses. The offensive line and the defensive line are two areas that are in desperate need of revamping.
Fortunately for Texans fans, the front office is reportedly considering a complete overhaul of the defensive line. Jonathan Alexander of The Houston Chronicle reported on Tuesday that the Texans are not expected to re-sign Mario Edwards and Foley Fatukasi in free agency. Instead, they will be active in free agency to improve on the defensive line.
"Though they have the options to bring back Mario Edwards or Foley Fatukasi, the expectation is that both players will hit free agency and not re-sign with team before the new league year begins on March 12. The Texans think they can improve in that area."Jonathan Alexander, Houston Chronicle
This means that the Texans will go through significant changes on the interior defensive line for a second straight offseason. Fatukasi and Edwards were both signed as free agents last spring but failed to meet expectations despite playing significant defensive snaps. Besides Tim Settle Jr, the two veterans played the most snaps on the interior.
In his age-30 season, Fatukasi performed especially poorly. With a 33.7 overall grade per Pro Football Focus, he was one of the worst players in his position. Plus, he had nagging injuries throughout the year, forcing him to miss six regular-season games.
Edwards was suspended for four games during the season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. When he played, he was fine, receiving a 56.6 grade on PFF.
GM Nick Caserio is obviously right to think that he can find upgrades for the two veterans in free agency or the draft. Former Texan Sheldon Rankins, D.J. Jones of the Broncos, Levi Onwuzurike of the Lions, or B.J. Hill of the Bengals are a few free-agent names that come to mind for Houston.