Season's Over - Time To Talk Roster Upgrades

[Keith]

Speaking of just the first round, ILB, DT, OLB and WR are worthy positions. And I doubt anyone feels comfortable enough with the depth on the OL. But I see plenty more positions where the team could fill needs.

Safety - Saw way too much Shiloh Keo. If you think Keo improves, then maybe this is less of a need. I would not bank on it. This need becomes glaring if Quin is not re-signed, or worse, gets injured mid-season.

Tight End - I am done making fun of the Texans for getting that mid-round TE. This offense needs 3 TEs every gameday. If Casey is gone, a free agent at FB can replace him (if Clutts isn't the answer, never saw him play on offense this year), but having just Daniels and Graham isn't enough. Nobody talks about how the team missed Dreesen this season.

Running Back - It's not that I don't like Tate and Forsett, but apparently the Texans don't. Remember all those snaps these two had against the Pats? Me neither. Bound to be a late round pick at this position.

Cornerback - Is Brandon Harris really getting better? Can he make a Kareem-like jump in 2013? Brice McCain should be back, but unless you're a believer in Harris, I don't want to pin any hopes on the likes of Alan Ball filling the need. I subscribe to the theory that drafting a mid-round cornerback every year is a good idea.

[HPF Bob]

Running Back - It's not that I don't like Tate and Forsett, but apparently the Texans don't. Remember all those snaps these two had against the Pats? Me neither.

Just to play Devil's Advocate, the Texans played from behind most of the game and Foster gives them the best chance to sell the play action so I think you saw a lot of Foster and none of Tate and Forsett because those two would probably tip off the Patriots that it was a pass and we needed them to respect the play action.

Besides, we kept Foster rested during the end of the season specifically so we could ride him in the playoffs.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Just to play Devil's Advocate, the Texans played from behind most of the game and Foster gives them the best chance to sell the play action so I think you saw a lot of Foster and none of Tate and Forsett because those two would probably tip off the Patriots that it was a pass and we needed them to respect the play action.

Besides, we kept Foster rested during the end of the season specifically so we could ride him in the playoffs.

I thought we might see Tate in that goal line situation.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by Keith

Tight End - I am done making fun of the Texans for getting that mid-round TE. This offense needs 3 TEs every gameday. If Casey is gone, a free agent at FB can replace him (if Clutts isn't the answer, never saw him play on offense this year), but having just Daniels and Graham isn't enough. Nobody talks about how the team missed Dreesen this season.

That was a much bigger loss than it appeared at the time, especially when coupled with Brisiel and Winston moving on. They need another TE who can block like Dreessen. The good news is that it won’t necessarily take a high draft pick or big free agent contract –- Dreessen was a former sixth rounder who the Texans picked up off the street.

There was talk during the season that the NFL may make all cut blocks illegal. Cut blocks (often confused with chop blocks, which are already illegal) are a big part of zone blocking. If that happens, are the Texans going to need to revamp their scheme, and possibly their OL personnel?

Even if the team still has total confidence in Schaub, they still should recognize that he’ll be 32 when next season starts and it’s time to at least be thinking about the future. Unless Yates or Keenum has been secretly tearing it up in practice, they need to take a developmental QB in the middle or late rounds.

After showing some flashes Posey tore his Achilles tendon, which could mean he won’t be ready for the start of the season. The rest of the WR youth movement, Martin and Jean, had a combined 16 catches during the regular season, so that position is far from solid.

ILB has been a big need on defense even before Cushing got hurt. I think 3-4 teams should be looking to draft an OLB at some point in every draft, but especially if Barwin isn’t back. Mercilus had twice as many sacks as Barwin and should be able to step in as a starter. It’ll be interesting to see if Braman is ready to make the jump, but even if all that works out there’s not much depth.