What did Lovie Smith do in 2021 to help the Texans rank 8th in the NFL in interceptions?

The 2021/2022 Houston Texans' defense marginally improved as veteran defensive coordinator (DC) Lovie Smith took over the reins from rookie DC Anthony Weaver. Playing a simple, fast and “bend but don’t break” style of defense, Smith’s unit was heavily dependent on forcing turnovers to slow down offenses.

Forcing turnovers has an immense impact on the outcome of a game. A 2013 study concluded that teams with more interceptions than their opponent won the game 80% of the time and teams that forced and recovered more fumbles than their opponents won the game 70% of the time.

For a Texans unit that is still lacking in elite talent, they may continue to live or die by the amount of takeaways they generate. This commences the beginning of a three-part series intending to discover what exactly Smith has done to improve the units’ takeaways and determine...

The Houston Texans' secondary has undergone significant turnover since GM Nick Caserio took over and it continues to be the case heading into Year 2.

Welcome to my annual Houston Texans draft takeaways, this year there was much more to talk about with more draft picks! Most importantly having a 1st and 2nd draft after a drought, due in part because of the previous regime.

These past couple of years have been interesting as the Stanford ties have grown exponentially inside the Houston Texans organization.

It's Christmas Eve, the 2022 NFL Draft is finally here! It's time for the final mock draft of the season, which will be my best guess at what will actually happen, come Thursday evening.

In this mock there are zero QBs going top-10, three 1st-round trades and plenty of emphasis on the trenches, WRs and CBs. Strap in for one final mock draft ride, I promise it'll be a smooth one.

For an in-depth look into my thoughts on each of these draft prospects and 200+ more, check out my 2022 NFL Draft Guide with scouting reports, big boards, positional rankings and more!

With the 2022 NFL Draft this week, the excitement brewing among Houston Texans fans is at an all-time high. With a full chamber of bullets at our disposal - 11 picks in total, 6 in the top 100 and 2 in the first round - Nick Caserio and co. have a massive opportunity to reshape this barren roster.

It's usually difficult to decipher which prospects any NFL team is highly interested in because teams don't like to show their cards and love to throw out smokescreens to deceive their competitors. Furthermore, there are numerous events at which teams can meet with prospects - the Senior Bowl, Combine, Pro Days, etc - but these events are not all weighed equally when measuring a team's interest in a player.

The crown jewel of these visits is the "Top-30" visit, in which NFL teams have 30 invites to spread throughout the 2000+ prospects in this year's class. Think of it as a shortlist for prospects that the team wants to do more homework on. Whether it's for their 1st round pick, which would seemingly be the new face of the franchise. Or for players with injury question...

Pass catchers are becoming a more and more valuable asset in today's pass-heavy NFL. Every year, young and talented wide receivers are found all throughout the NFL draft and prove to be instant contributors. The 2022 WR class is a talented one, but more so deep than star-studded.

To account for the depth of this class, here are my top-20 WRs out of the 28 I watched - I only did a top-10 for QBs which you can find here. In this article, the top four WRs are the most fun part to debate and could all easily garner the WR1 label. Let me know your thoughts on my rankings via Twitter and if you'd like to gain a deeper understanding for these WRs and the others I watched, check our my 2022 Draft Guide.

As the 2022 NFL Draft nears closer and closer I will be releasing my positional rankings! This will provide a brief idea of what the player provides on the field, the score I gave them purely based on their film and which round I would select them. The scouting report summary comes from each player's individual scouting report in my 2022 NFL Draft Guide, so if you want to learn more about the prospects in this class, you can find that here!

First up, quarterbacks! While this class has been touted as weaker - and it is - statistically, some of these QBs will become franchise guys. We've heard the 2017 QB class was weak, but Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes proved scouts and media wrong. Who from the 2022 class has the chance to do the same?

The best time of the year is upon us! The NFL Draft offers teams the best opportunity to build long-term success for the future. I hope my Houston Texans go home with a haul! The Draft also resembles a monumental time in these college players' lives as they fulfill their dreams and embark into the NFL world.

Predicting the success of these players is extremely difficult. My rankings will be different than your rankings or your favorite NFL Draft experts' rankings and that's okay. Whether you agree or disagree, I appreciate you for viewing my guide and welcome you to hit me up on Twitter (@Texans_Thoughts) to discuss whichever player you want!

My guide includes in-depth scouting reports on 222 players in the 2022 NFL Draft Class. I try to paint a picture of the prospect, providing measurements, injury history, background information, strengths, weaknesses, a summary and the best scheme fit + role projection to maximize a player's success.

Furthermore, you will find three different big boards, a brief explanation...

The Houston Texans continue to reshape the roster and have brought in a new yet familiar face. Marlon Mack, the former Indianapolis Colts running back was added a week after being brought in for a workout.

This signing mirrors others GM Nick Caserio has made, buying low on players who have flashed talent but have seen their stock drop off due to a recent injury. These types of players have varying degrees of reputation, from wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton, to offensive guard AJ Cann, to linebacker Blake Cashman. Undoubtedly though, Mack has shown the most production out of this group.

The 26-year-old offers the potential of a lead RB in a committee, something the Texans have severely lacked for far too long. The million-dollar question becomes, how likely is it that Mack returns to his 2019 form - after missing all of 2020 and...

How can a safety be the best player in the NFL Draft? Well, Notre Dame's Kyle Hamilton cannot be defined by just one label. Don't get me wrong; he is outstanding at doing "safety" things - over his three seasons, he's played 856 snaps in coverage per PFF and only gave up one total touchdown. That being said, look at Hamilton like a chess piece. He's not just a knight that can move in a limited "L" shape. He's a queen that is multi-directional and multi-positional, making him the most valuable piece on the board.

With so many roster needs in the long term and 11 picks in this draft, it's hard to project what direction the Houston Texans will go in 2022. However, when you look at the type of prospect the Houston Texans took in the 2021 NFL Draft for reference, It's not hard to notice the type of players they were looking for.

One man's loss is another man's treasure.

After enduring a season-ending torn ACL that wiped out DaeSean Hamilton's fourth season in the NFL, the Denver Broncos cut the wide receiver in May of 2021. Nearly a year later, the Houston Texans brought in Hamilton for a workout on March 11th, 2022 and liked what they saw. Hamilton inked a one-year contract with financial terms unknown at the time.

Hamilton is the latest player coming off a down or unavailable year that general manager Nick Caserio has decided to take a chance on....

The Houston Texans finally found a franchise quarterback. We watched Deshaun Watson grow for four seasons. He was on pace for a historic rookie season in 2017. He made the playoffs in his first healthy season in 2018. He brought us so close to the AFC Championship game in 2019. He even lead the NFL in passing yards in 2020 Then, the nightmare ensued.

From an underwhelming 4-12 season, to the Bill O'Brien firing, to Watson's trade request and sexual assault allegations - the journey to this point has been far from ordinary. Now, after a recruiting process that took the NFL world for a spin, Watson has chosen the team that traded away the draft pick which selected him in 2017 - the Cleveland Browns.

After a relatively quiet first day in free agency that saw the Houston Texans sign Jacksonville Jaguars right guard AJ Cann, a second "outside" free agent is added to the fold. MJ Stewart, formerly a Cleveland Brown, signed a one-year, three million dollar contract with the Texans, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Who is Stewart, what are his strengths, weaknesses and potential role for Lovie Smith's defense?

The light at the end of the tunnel can finally be seen for Houston Texans fans. Since the Harris County Grand Jury did not find enough evidence to charge quarterback Deshaun Watson with sexual assault, numerous NFL teams are displaying interest in trading for the franchise star.

The market is heating up with a trade likely to be completed before the 2022 NFL Draft in late April. The Texans are expected to grant interested teams permission to speak with Watson and said teams...

The 2022 NFL Combine was historically impressive with every position group running jaw-dropping 40 times and many prospects making themselves some serious money. The tricky thing about these athletic tests is that not every player runs 40 yards on the field as fast as they do on the track - especially with no pads and after months of refining their technique.

Therefore, for this article I wanted to accomplish three things; firstly, watch some of these exciting athletes who I hadn't seen before. Secondly, see if their testing scores are representative of their in-game athleticism. Thirdly, project where I would draft them if I was the Texans GM, Nick Caserio.

The five players I will break down today are not first-round prospects but all fit the Houston Texans in some way or another and would bring a much-needed boost of athleticism to the team. Without further ado, let's get into it because the film don't lie.

With the next stage in the offseason nearing, free agency provides a time for Nick Caserio to add new personnel to the Houston Texans. With 2021 defensive coordinator, Lovie Smith, being promoted to head coach and not hiring a replacement for his old position, the defensive scheme will remain intact. I previously previewed defensive line free agents which you can find here.

Next, let's look at some potential new faces at corner and safety who would fit the Texans scheme, budget and timeline. For cornerbacks, Lovie - and other Tampa 2 disciples - have historically prioritized size and physicality, dependable tackling and zone awareness. For safeties, range from the hash marks to the sideline is key and reliable tackling is welcomed.

Trenches win football games. Lovie Smith is certainly a believer in this mentality as historically, his NFL defenses have been built around prioritizing the defensive line. The Houston Texans have some promising young guns in Jonathan Greenard and Roy Lopez, maybe even Ross Blacklock, but have key free agents in starters Maliek Collins and Jacob Martin.

With the legal tampering period beginning March 14th and the free agency start date on March 16th, let's preview free agents that the Texans should look to sign, starting with the DL.

It's not the size of the boat it's the motion of the ocean.

Roger McCreary is one of the most talented cornerbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft and yet he is going to be eliminated from some NFL teams' draft boards because of his 29 1/4" long arms.

Much of the buzz surrounding McCreary's stock has revolved around that one measurement but it does not tell his full story. He's displayed the work ethic, production and on-field traits that make him worthy of a first-round pick.

McCreary was a three-star recruit who originally played safety before moving to corner for Auburn. He improved every year, raising his tackle numbers and ball production; culminating in a 2021 season where he led the SEC in...

A horrific hiring process results in an experienced candidate but shows Texans front office has not learned from their mistakes.

The Houston Texans embarked on a rocky rollercoaster of a head coach search and after three weeks they hire the in-house candidate, defensive coordinator Lovie Smith.

Beloved by his players, Smith's 21 years of NFL coaching experience - with 11 as a head coach of the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers - makes him the most battle-tested head coach to be hired this cycle.

Smith has been in this position before and the results have been mixed. He had a winning record in five out of his nine seasons with a talented Bears team and most importantly appeared in the 2006 Super Bowl, where they lost to the Indianapolis Colts.

During his second stint, Lovie led the Bucs to an 8-24 record over two seasons, before enough was enough. A common excuse for his lack of results was that Bucs team lacked...

With Senior Bowl practices wrapped up I wanted to provide the future NFL players I thought stood out the most and would fit the Houston Texans needs - there's a lot of them!

Taking a collective view of where the Texans are at with almost two weeks in the books since they fired David Culley from his head coaching duties.

The Houston Texans fired David Culley on Thursday afternoon, so let's make a quick checklist on what we've learned.