NFL rumors: Texans might not be done tanking just yet

The Houston Texans have been considered a formality to draft a quarterback at No. 2 in the 2023 NFL Draft, but now that may no longer be the case. 

Whenever the Carolina Panthers initially traded for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud was considered the favorite to be the top selection. That was music to the ears of the Houston Texans as it seemed they would have Alabama quarterback Bryce Young fall right into their laps.

Things have changed, though.

Over the past few weeks of draft visits and pro day workouts, the odds have shifted and now Young is the favorite according to oddsmakers to be the No. 1 pick going to the Panthers. And with that news also comes a report from ESPN insider Adam Schefter about what it means for the Texans — and it’s a potentially stunning outcome.

Schefter reported on NFL Live that it is not a certainty that the Houston Texans will take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft.

Tanking must be one helluva drug.

NFL rumors: Texans could keep tanking, not draft QB with No. 2 pick

There’s a lot to unpack with this report but there could be some validity to it.

If the Texans were fully enamored with Bryce Young and now have the same intel as oddsmakers that he won’t be there with the No. 2 overall pick, that could cause Houston to then start weighing options that they otherwise wouldn’t have. That’s possibly where this report ultimately stems from.

Where it gets interesting is what it could mean moving forward. If Houston is indeed looking at the quarterback and draft situation like this, there is a world in which they are content to tank, so to speak, once again in order to try and land a shot at Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, the headliners of the 2024 draft’s quarterback class.

Moreover, not taking a quarterback at No. 2 leaves the Texans with a bevy of options. They could stay at that spot and have their pick of the top defenders in the draft. They could trade down with quarterback-hungry teams like the Raiders, Titans or Colts (unlikely on the latter given that it’s in the division). They could do either of those things and then try to land a quarterback with the No. 12 pick too.

While the grass is always greener on the other side when it comes to drafting quarterbacks, it is pretty easy to understand why the Texans might be thinking this way. Then again, in smokescreen season, who knows how heartily this can even be trusted?