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Houston Texans:
Coach Jeff Beyel is out in Houston. He moved North to take over the Dallas Cowboys. Normally, a coaching change could spell trouble for a franchise but, in this case, nothing could be further from the truth. Legandary, 5-time PFL Champion coach Jim Hatzis has come out of a short lived hiatus to assume control of the Texans! Hatzis inherits a top notch club that could challenge for the AFC crown and certainly can repeat as AFC South champs....
Second year QB C.J. Stroud had a marvelous rookie campaign and should only get better with experience. He threw for 4688 yards and 35 touchdowns last season finishing with a sparkling 106.9 QBR! Hatzis signed Tampa Bay Buccaneer QB Baker Mayfield to add quality depth to the unit. HB Dameon Pierce was the top runner under Beyel rushing for 1527 yards with a very healthy 5.9 YPC average. So far, however, Hatzis has elected to ignore Pierce and go with veteran Devin Singletary and rookie Sean Winston. The Texans inked WR Calvin Ridley from divisional rival Jacksonville to join with Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and John Metchie. Xavier Hutchinson and versatile OLB Blake Cashman were released. Hatzis ponied up the big dollars to bring back aging TE Dalton Schultz and the move will likely slow down the progress of Brevin Jordan while rookie James Stevenson will compete for the #3 spot. Hatzis also saw no need to retain a FB and let one of the best in the business walk in Andrew Beck. The entire offensive line returns and is one of the better units in the league.
Last season, Houston's defense was one of the best in football. Both Will Anderson and Jonathan Greenard were Pro-Bowlers but the Texans still opted to draft Ohio State Buckeye DE JT Tuimoloau with the 27th pick! The 6'4" 270 Lbs end has every tool needed to be a truly elite player and he should pass Greenard on the depth chart. The interior of the line is questionable as of now. Maliek Collins, Roy Lopez, and Thomas Booker were all given opportunities to thrive last season but all came up short. Green Bay Packer OLB Rashan Gary was brought in but he lacks coverage skills and his backup, Cameron McGrone, is not any better. McGrone was signed from another divisional rival, the Colts. Houston continued to pillage their rivals with the signing of MLB Zach Cunningham (Titans). He, along with returner Henry To'Oto'O, should man the inside duties. Small, but very fast, Christian Harris and another free agent signee, Atlanta Falcon Zach Harrison, should see time at the ROLB spots. The secondary is deep and has some talent. CB Derek Stingley is the best of the group. Tavierre Thomas, Shaquille Griffin, and Noah Igbinoghene should vie for playing time. Utah Ute rookie safety Cole Bishop should start right away opposite Pro-Bowler Jalen Pitre.
Outlook: Hatzis has made some clear moves to fit his philosophy. The defense could be elite although the linebacking situation may need to be tweaked. The defensive line and secondary should cause plenty of havoc. Ridley should help the WR corps and it is hoped the move towards more speed at tailback can help Stroud elevate his game higher. Hatzis will not have much time to get his feet wet as the Texans open their season with three difficult games. They open with Kansas City and then have rival Tennessee and the hi-octane New England Patriots. The team won 13 games last season and that seems attainable again this year.
Jacksonville Jaguars:
Jacksonville was the pre-season favorite a season ago but things never got untracked and the club missed the playoffs. Simply put, QB Trevor Lawrence must reach his potential or another disappointing campaign is probable. Last season, Lawrence under-whelmed with a 97.9 QBR. So far this pre-season, however, he has been electric posting a 151.7 QBR and it is hoped the success can carry over into the new year. A big question in Florida is just who the heck is gonna be the carrier of the pigskin this season? The Jags brought in long time Titans' RB Derrick Henry and he joins Travis Etienne and Tank Bisby in a crowded backfield. Etienne ran for 1255 yards and 8 touchdowns last year but the Jaguars' brass did not seem overly impressed. Henry powered his way to 1593 yards and 13 touchdowns in a Titans' uniform. Texas Longhorn rookie WR Xavier Worth is expected to supply the deep ball threat Lawrence needs and open the way for Christian Kirk and Zay Jones to play as the #2 and slot targets. TE Evan Ingram is still solid. The offensive line is, well, average. LG could be a soft spot unless Cooper Hodges or Justin Schaffer can get it done there.
Folorunso Fatukasi compiled 12.5 sacks last year from his defensive end position but the pass rush, overall, was not good enough. They signed Chicago Bear RE Yannick Ngakoue hoping he can return to his from from a few seasons back, but he recorded just 4 sacks last year. They also signed another Bear, DT Andrew Billings, who could tandem with Davon Hamilton to form a powerful inside duo. Billings had 6.5 sacks last year with 10 TFLs so he does have disruptive ability. Hamilton also had 6.5 traps along with 14 TFLs. Perhaps the Jags can generate enough inside pressure and defense to get the job done. The linebacking unit played well last season. OLBs Travon Walker and Josh Allen combined for 18 sacks and 57 TFLs! Jacksonville went all out to rebuild their cornerback staff. They drafted Penn State Nittany Lion Kalen King, Iowa State Cyclone T.J. Tampa, and Missouri Tiger Kris Abrams-Drain to shore up the unit and those three will join with Tyson Campbell. The group has talent and can be good despite their youthfulness. FS Andre Cisco is a top talent.
Outlook: The Jaguars have enough skill to make a run to the playoffs and make noise in the division, but Lawrence must play better. The infusion of Henry and Worth on offense and the depth in the secondary should help. They begin their season with six straight winnable games before facing Houston in week 7 and how they fare before that meeting will go a long ways in determining their fate. 10 wins is very possible.
Indianapolis Colts:
Indianapolis was a very scary, albeit inconsistent, team last season. They smartly used some financial capital in free agency in order to add weapons around second year QB Anthony Richardson. WR Amari Cooper (92-1436-15.6 YPC, 10 TDs) has come over from the Browns and HB Ezekiel Elliott was signed away from New England to spell stud tailback Jonathan Taylor. Washington Huskie rookie WR Rome Odunz could be a monster. Returners Josh Downs and Alec Pierce have already proven their worth giving the Colts a very deep and talented receiving corps. The tightend situation remained mostly unchanged. The offensive line could be better but might develop. RG has Matt Feiler (Pittsburgh FA) and rookie Kirk Brown are competing for the top job but neither is overly dominant. LG Quinton Nelson remains elite.
Indianapolis did not generate much pressure from the edge slots. DEs Samson Ebukam and Kwity Paye were ok, but neither compiled double-digit sacks and they will need to perform better this year. DT Deforest Buckner had a fine campaign last year with 11 sacks and 23 TFLs. The linebacking unit will have a new look. MLB Tommy Eichenberg looks to start inside. The Ex-Ohio State Buckeye offers a good size-speed profile and has the talent to both cover and serve as a run stopper. OLB Shaquill Leonard is back as is Zaire Franklin. Third round selection CB Kamari Lassiter should step in right away and add depth to the secondary. The one-time Georgia Bulldog will work with Kenny Moore, Julius Brents, and speedy Darius Rush. Marquise Blair and Julian Blackmon should get the lion's share of work at the safety positions with Nick Cross and Daniel Scott chipping in.
Outlook: QB Richardson put up solid numbers last year, but the coaching staff seemed hesitant to ever let him truly open up. He has to do better than his 25 TD total of a season ago. They have a favorable schedule and will need to be at least at or near .500 when they get to their week 9 bye. 10 wins seems within reach but the offense must score and the defense has to hold up.
Tennessee Titans:
It is hard to embrace the notion that a Titans' team could finish last in this division so this is uncharted waters for sure. Still, the club has many questions to be answered and, unless they can figure them out, they could fail the exam.
Tennessee used an ultra-conservative offensive approach last season and it proved extremely successful for much of the season. They were not able to bring in an improvement at quarterback so Ryan Tannehill was released and then resigned in free agency to run the offense yet again. His accuracy has declined and he no longer has the arm strength to consistently test the corners on deep out patterns so the conservative angle is probably returning this year. Derrick Henry is gone so in comes Cam Akers (Rams) to tote the ball. The team did add WR Odell Beckham to go with Deandre Hopkins and Trey Burks. However, Hopkins and Beckham are both aging and no longer possess over-the-top speed to stretch defenses. TE Chigoziem Okonkwo exploded onto the PFL scene last year thriving in the short passing game system. He hauled in an incredible 121 passes for 1684 yards! West Virginia Mountaineer rookie C Zach Frazier will do the snap honors and Ex-Dallas Cowboy RT Terrence Steele was signed on as a free agent to bolster up the offensive line.
Defensive end James Houston comes in from Detroit as well as Florida Gator rookie Princely Umanmielen to play on the left edge. Jeffrey Simmons is back on the right side coming off a 14.5 sack season. The interior did not change with Teair Tart and Poona Ford coming back. Tart had 15 TFLs and 6+ sacks but Ford only had 5 TFLs and 3 sacks so there is a concern here. Alabama Crimson Tide rookie OLB Chris Braswell should be out Arden Key for the starting nod at the LOLB spot. Braswell has the speed, acceleration numbers, and cover skills to be tremendous. He also has enough size and impact block ratings to hold up at the point of attack but his tackling could better. Monty Rice, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Harold Landry complete the middle level defense. The corners are adequate but not elite. Kristian Fulton is the best back there. The safeties are stellar with veteran Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker. Clemson Tiger rookie Andrew Mukuba should see time and replace Byard eventually.
Outlook: People have doubted the Titans before and lived to regret it, so never sleep on Tennessee. Still, the quarterbacking situation is a major worry and the receivers do not seem to have the speed to help Tannehill out much. A conservative approach is a near foregone conclusion. The defense has some ability but the interior of the D-line is a concern and the linebacking, overall, is not overly intimidating. They have a very tough first six weeks of the season before their bye with playoff teams Houston, Cleveland, New England, and Philadelphia on tap. 10 wins would be hard to see but Coach Glen always seems to find his way so...
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