The Houston Texans’ offseason has been headlined by a flurry of big arrivals.
With the additions of Stefon Diggs, Joe Mixon, and Danielle Hunter, the Texans create offseason history.
Additionally, their deals made history.
The Texans were the first club in history to add players who had 10,+ sacks, 1,000+ rushing yards, and 100+ receptions, respectively, with the acquisition of pass rusher Danielle Hunter and the trades to acquire wide receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon, per NFL Research.
Following an unexpected run to the AFC South title and the Divisional Round, the Texans have demonstrated that they are not going to be a one-time event and that they will not squander the opportunity to sign emerging star quarterback C.J. Stroud to a rookie contract.
According to NFL Research, Mixon, who had 1,034 rushing yards the previous season, has also scored 29 rushing touchdowns since 2021, tying for third among all running backs during that time.
Regarding Hunter, the Pro Bowler finished fifth in the NFL in 2023 with a career-high 16.5 sacks. According to NFL Research, since 2018, his 0.85 sacks per game rank third in the league, only behind Myles Garrett and former AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt.
Houston didn’t sit back and enjoy the results of its hard work from the previous season during this offseason. Rather, the Texans signed some well-known players with impressive production.
Naturally, it will be interesting to see how it all turns out in September 2024.
According to NFL Research, there has only been one previous instance of a team obtaining a 100-reception player and a 10-sack defender in the same summer. That was the Chandler Jones and Daavante Adams-led 2022 Raider team. Following their 2021 wild-card playoff berth, the Raiders of 2022 finished with a 6-11 record.
A franchise has also been known to acquire a 1,000-yard rusher and a 10-sack pass rusher from the previous season in the offseason that followed. In the 2001 offseason, the Raiders also acquired defensive end Trace Armstrong and running back Charlie Garner. Similar to the Texans, the Raiders qualified for the Super Bowl in 2002 despite losing in the Divisional Round the year before.
Stroud, who was born on October 3, 2001, was not alive during the Raiders season, but he undoubtedly hopes to lead the team to a similar level of success.
Will Houston be a Super Bowl contender as a result of the Texans’ unprecedented offseason purchases?
