A flurry of blockbuster additions has highlighted the Houston Texans’ offseason.
With the signing of pass rusher Danielle Hunter and the trades to acquire running back Joe Mixon and wide receiver Stefon Diggs, the Texans have become the first team in history to add players who respectively had 10-plus sacks, 1,000-plus rushing yards and 100-plus receptions, per NFL Research.
On the heels of a surprising run to an AFC South title and the Divisional Round, the Texans have made it clear that they’re not going to be a flash in the pan, nor waste the window in which burgeoning star quarterback C.J. Stroud is on his rookie contract.
Buffalo Bills and is coming off a season in which he had 107 receptions — seventh in the NFL. His 29 receiving touchdowns since 2021 are also tied for third in that span, per NFL Research.
Mixon, who had 1,034 rushing yards last year, also has 29 rushing TDs since 2021, which is likewise tied for third among RBs in that span, according to NFL Research.
As for Hunter, the Pro Bowler posted a career-high 16.5 sacks in 2023, which was fifth in the NFL. His 0.85 sacks per game since 2018 are third in the league behind only former AP NFL Defensive Players of the Year T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett, via NFL Research.
Houston did not sit idle this offseason and celebrate the fruits of its previous season’s labor. Instead, the Texans added some big names with noted production.
How it plays out in 2024, of course, remains to be seen come September.
There is one previous instance of a team acquiring a 100-reception player and a 10-sack defender from the previous season in the same offseason, per NFL Research. That was the 2022 Raiders with Davante Adams and Chandler Jones. Coming off a wild-card playoff berth in 2021, the ’22 Raiders finished 6-11.
There is also one instance in which a franchise acquired a 1,000-yard rusher and 10-sack pass rusher from the previous season in the ensuing offseason. It was also the Raiders, who obtained running back Charlie Garner and defensive end Trace Armstrong in the 2001 offseason. Having lost in the Divisional Round the season prior — just like the Texans — the Raiders advanced to the Super Bowl in the 2002 campaign.
Born on Oct. 3, 2001, Stroud wasn’t around for the duration of that Raiders season, but he’s no doubt hoping to key a similar season of success.
Will the Texans’ historic offseason acquisitions equate to Houston becoming Super Bowl contenders?
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