Houston Texans: 5 offseason needs in 2020

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 12: Quarterback Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans calls out a play from the line of scrimmage in the first half during the AFC Divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on January 12, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /

5 of 5

HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 06: Bradley Roby #21 of the Houston Texans in action in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium on October 06, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

1. Fortify the secondary

Veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph and safety Jahleel Addae are testing the free-agent market. In the case of the former, the Texans made their intentions known one week prior to the new fiscal year that the longtime defender was not in the team’s plans for 2020 (via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).

The Texans have been moderately busy during free agency but they have also done a quite a decent job of bringing back a lot of their own unrestricted free agents, most notably in the secondary.

Case in point is Bradley Roby, who the club signed away from the Denver Broncos a year ago but wound up inking a new three-year contact with Houston. Both he and fellow cornerbacks Phillip Gaines and Vernon Hargreaves are back in the fold. The latter, picked up by the club last November after being cut loose by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was released by the Texans in February and agreed to a new deal earlier this month.

More fansided.com: NFL power rankings: 2020 edition – Chiefs at No. 1

The newcomers in the secondary include versatile Eric Murray (Cleveland Browns) and safety Jaylen Watkins (Los Angeles Chargers). The incumbents include Roby and the safety combination of free safety Tashaun Gipson and two-year pro Justin Reid, as well as cornerback Gareon Conley – who finished second on the club with 11 passes defensed. Can this group rebound from a few shaky seasons?

Home/Houston Texans