Fansided

5 moves Texans must make this offseason

By Rucker Haringey

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 15: Quarterback Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans runs the ball against the New York Jets during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium on December 15, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 15: Quarterback Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans runs the ball against the New York Jets during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium on December 15, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 23: Free safety Tyrann Mathieu #32 of the Houston Texans celebrates an interception by inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney #55 (not pictured) against the Philadelphia Eagles during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on December 23, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 23: Free safety Tyrann Mathieu #32 of the Houston Texans celebrates an interception by inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney #55 (not pictured) against the Philadelphia Eagles during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on December 23, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

3. Re-sign the Honey Badger

Tyrann Mathieu isn’t a perfect NFL safety, but he was a really good player this year for the Texans. The team might be tempted to let him go in free agency if the bidding gets out of hand, but locking him up with a long-term deal is the move Houston needs to make.

Bringing him back isn’t the only thing that needs to be done when it comes to Mathieu though. The coaching staff also needs to take the shackles off the talented safety. There was a big emphasis put on scaling down the number of his duties this season, but that actually made the team’s defensive schemes much too vanilla.

In 2019, the team needs to take full advantage of everything Mathieu can do. That doesn’t mean they should force him to take a pounding at the line of scrimmage every down, but it should be a feature of what he does. Leaving him to play center field on every play just doesn’t allow him to be the dynamic playmaker this defense desperately needs.

As such the Texans have a two-step process when it comes to Mathieu next year. First, they have to find a way to keep him in the fold. The best way to do that would be to make a quality offer as soon as they can. Allowing a bidding war to develop would be a poor choice.

Secondly, Houston has to diversify Mathieu’s responsibilities. They shouldn’t go crazy with how they leverage his abilities, but a little variety would go a long way.

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