Houston Texans Team Defense

2012 Projection

Outlook

It's time to realize that the Texans Def/ST is one of the top units on the board. Yes, they lost free agent Mario Williams to the Bills, but they added OLB Whitney Mercilus and DE Jared Crick via the draft. Both are capable of providing a boost to an already dominant front seven. Crick was an absolute steal in the late fourth round and Mercilus was selected to provide depth to a very strong group of edge rushers in the Texans base 3-4 defense. Don't forget, Mario Williams only played five games last year, before a torn pectoral ended his season. Without their main pass rushing weapon, Houston combined for 44 sacks and 27 takeaways. Rising stars Connor Barwin and JJ Watt were monumental in the team's defensive success that allowed only 8 rushing TDs and 18 passing TDs - both among the league's best. The two rookie additions to the line will strengthen an already good defense, plus their special teams gets a lift from rookie WR Keshawn Martin, who will definitely return punts and possibly kickoffs. It's possible people may not realize the strength of this defense/ST unit, but they are capable of putting up a Top 5 ranking at the end of the season.