5 Houston Texans impending free agents who need to be brought back

The Houston Texans were one of two teams in 2023 to reach the playoffs just one season after finishing dead last in their division. However, the difference between DeMeco Ryans’ club and Kevin Stefanski’s Cleveland Browns was that the former wound up winning a division title – the franchise’s first since 2019.

Ironically, these two clubs battled in the first round of the playoffs. NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud and an opportunistic defense led Ryans’ squad to a 45-14 victory.

One week later, the Houston offense failed to find the end zone in a 34-10 loss at Baltimore. Despite an unexpected playoff appearance, this franchise has still never appeared in the AFC Championship Game.

Still, the Texans came a long way in a very short time. General manager Nick Caserio has some decisions to make in terms of potential free agents.

5. DT Sheldon Rankins

It wasn’t long ago that the organization was having issues attracting top-level unrestricted free agents. The Houston Texans were signing plenty of players, but many were not difference-makers.

That all changed with the hiring of Ryans, as players appeared excited to play for him.

One of the team’s additions was former first-round draft choice Sheldon Rankins. After seven seasons with the Saints (5) and Jets (2), he joined the Texans and made 15 starts. He finished with 37 tackles and a fumble return for a score. His six sacks were third on the team behind Jonathan Greenard (12.5) and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. (7.0).

No doubt the team would like to establish some continuity to a pass rush that totaled a team-record 46 sacks in 2023.