Fun to watch Texans' D could be special

After finishing at the bottom of the league two years ago, the Houston Texans took advantage of a weak division to finish a surprising 9-7. The team enters 2015 with a similar look: a frightening defence led by JJ Watt and nothing but question marks at the quarterback position.

Offensive Breakdown

With Foster out, not a lot to get excited about

Let’s make this quick so we can get to their defence…

Just kidding, but all jokes aside, the Texans’ offence doesn’t offer much to get excited about. And that was before Arian Foster was lost for half the year with a groin injury suffered in training camp.

Alfred Blue will be expected to step in and carry the mail in Foster’s absence, and there are signs that the former sixth-rounder is up to the task. Blue has had a strong preseason as the team’s No. 1 back a year after rushing for 528 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie.

That said, the sooner Foster can return, the better. Foster’s backups have typically looked promising during the veteran running backs’ injury absences (think Ben Tate in 2013), but struggled when asked to be the bell cow (think Ben Tate in 2014).

Foster enjoyed a terrific season last year, rushing for 1,246 yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games. The Texans’ will surely take a half season of those numbers, especially if Blue can keep the team afloat in the first half.

That could be a Herculean task because Brian Hoyer will start the year behind centre. Hoyer beat out Ryan Mallett in a training camp battle and while he doesn’t have the potential of Mallett, he has more experience, with 32 career games under his belt.

PLAYER TO WATCH: WR DeANDRE HOPKINS

You may already be watching him after the former first-round pick put up big numbers (1,210 receiving yards, six TDs) last year, but now Hopkins is out of the shadow of Andre Johnson and should gain the star recognition he deserves. It’s too bad Hopkins’ fate is tied so directly with the Texans’ QBs, but the Clemson product showed he could thrive despite shaky quarterbacking last year, so should be solid again this year.

IN: QB Brian Hoyer, WR Cecil Shorts, WR Nate Washington

OUT: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Andre Johnson, C Chris Myers

Defensive Breakdown

Led by Watt, Texans' defence should be fun and special

Now for the fun part. The Texans’ defence is of course led by JJ Watt, the frontrunner for best defensive player in the league and absolutely in the conversation for best overall player. He also trails only Rob Gronkowski in having the most fun in the league, both on and off the field.

Watt is coming off a 20.5 sack season, the second time he has eclipsed the 20-sack mark in his four-year career. He’s still just 26 years old, so there should be many more dominating seasons ahead. The former first rounder also had 15 stuffs, 10 passes defended – Swatted! – and his first career defensive touchdown off an interception.

We were mostly robbed of seeing the tantalizing combo of Watt and Jadeveon Clowney last year with the former first rounder fighting through a number of injuries in his rookie season. Now looking healthy after starting training camp on the PUP list, Clowney has a chance to thrive with others on the Texans’ D surprisingly more deserving of double teams.

That would be Watt and the human double team himself, Vince Wilfork. Wilfork is older now and will have to slow down eventually after 11 seasons and two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, but the thought of him gobbling up blockers and allowing Watt and Clowney roam free is surely a scary one for opposing QBs.

Houston’s secondary is solid as well, led by corners Kareem Jackson and Johnathan Joseph, and safety Rahim Moore. A healthy 2015 Texans’ defence could be a league-leading 2015 Texans’ defence.

IN: FS Rahim Moore, NT Vince Wilfork

OUT: FS Kendrick Lewis, S Danieal Manning, OLB Brooks Reed

Draft

The Texans didn’t make any headlines with their draft haul, but brought in who should be three solid contributors in CB Kevin Johnson, ILB Benardrick McKinney, and WR Jaelen Strong in the first three rounds. Those names should all be familiar to mock drafters, as all of them found themselves in at least a few pre-draft guesses of the top 32 picks.

The Texans look to be giving all three a great chance to succeed as well with Johnson likely to start as the team’s nickel corner behind Jackson and Joseph, McKinney learning from veteran Brian Cushing, and Strong in the receiver rotation behind Hopkins.