Even though the Houston Texans came up short in the playoffs this season, the future is very bright for C.J. Stroud and the franchise.
Granted, there is obviously work to do. The Texans are not a legitimate Super Bowl contender right now. However, with the right offseason, that could change in 2025.
Over the last couple of years, Houston has become more and more aggressive. Since DeMeco Ryans took over as head coach, the Texans have been on the right track. Now, they are just needing the right move or two in order to take the next step towards their ultimate goal of a championship.
Heading into the offseason, Houston clearly needs to work on its offense. The wide receiver position needs help and the offensive line is a weakness as well.
Getting Stroud more weapons will be a must. Tank Dell could miss quite a bit of time as he recovers from a gruesome injury. Stefon Diggs is also about to hit free agency.
While the Texans will need to find a proven No. 1 target for Stroud, they could also look to improve the room overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
That being said, Houston has been projected to land a sleeper weapon for Stroud.
Pro Football Network has released a new mock draft that has the Texans selecting Utah State wide receiver Jalen Royals in the third round with the No. 89 overall pick.
“Jalen Royals is a productive collegiate wide receiver who isn’t particularly elite in one aspect of his game, but he’s a smart player with reliable hands and a well-rounded game that helps him get open consistently,” they wrote.
Standing in at 6-foot-0 and 205 pounds, Royals may not be talked about a lot as an elite wide receiver prospect. But, he has the talent to develop into a playmaker at the NFL level.
Over the last two years at Utah State, Royals has racked up 126 receptions for 1,914 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has been extremely productive under the radar.
Being able to land him in the third round could end up being a major steal for Houston.
Bleacher Report has compared Royals to Green Bay Packers young wideout Jayden Reed. If that comparison ends up coming true, the Texans would be getting a potential No. 1 wideout. Reed has shown that kind of potential with the Packers.
It is going to be very interesting to see what Houston ends up doing this offseason. Adding Royals and a proven receiver could fix the issues at the position. Perhaps the Texans could even re-sign Stefon Diggs.
One thing is clear heading into the offseason, which is that Houston is not terribly far off and that the front office is going to do whatever it takes to pursue a Super Bowl.
