How did the Houston Texans rate in the AFC South Division report cards?

PFF hands out early grades

The fine folks over at ProFootballFocus keep grades each and every week on every player in the NFL. So, it stands to reason they can crunch those numbers, compare and contrast team rosters and needs, then punch out scores for each NFL franchise.

And, they did.

What’s even better is you can now compare and contrast the teams’ free agency report cards amongst divisions, conferences and however else you want to do it.

For today, we’re going to look at the whole AFC South Division. The Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and yes even the Not-The-Oilers from Tennessee.

For fun let’s go worst to first.

PFF.com

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Extended: C Jack Anderson (one year, TBD)

Extended: LB Zaire Franklin (three years, $31.26M)

Re-signed: WR Michael Pittman Jr. (three years, $70M)

Re-signed: EDGE Tyquan Lewis (two years, $12M)

Re-signed: DI Grover Stewart (three years, $39M)

Re-signed: P Rigoberto Sanchez (three years, $7.5M)

Re-signed: CB Kenny Moore II (three years, $30M)

Signed: DI Raekwon Davis (two years, $14M)

Re-signed: LB Ronnie Harrison (one year, TBD)

Re-signed: EDGE Genard Avery (one year, TBD)

Signed: QB Joe Flacco (one year, $4.5M)

Re-signed: RB Trey Sermon (TBD)

Pittman proved himself to be an invaluable member of the Colts’ pass-catching corps, and Indianapolis couldn’t let the big-bodied, sure-handed receiver leave as the team tries to develop quarterback Anthony Richardson. The Colts win here by keeping this number in line with the second-round wide receivers who were extended last offseason (Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf), and Pittman and company won by ensuring they also matched the three-year term of Samuel and Metcalf.

Stewart is a key element of the Colts’ defense, serving as the anchor on the interior around which every other defensive lineman can move more freely. On/off splits contain a ton of noise, so they’re not always the best data point to observe, but the Colts’ run defense was night and day with and without Stewart in 2023.

Lewis signs another deal with the team that drafted him in the second round in 2018 — and this time coming off the best year of his career as a pass rusher, with his 44 quarterback pressures double his prior career high. He’s a solid member of this edge rusher platoon in Indianapolis that has no stars but a bunch of solid players with diverse skill sets. The speed to power is there for Lewis, and more moves could help him elevate his game further.

PFF FREE AGENCY GRADE: B-

Glad to see the baby horses are in the division basement. Although, grading a C+ like the Dallas Cowboys would have been more amusing.

Next up, the Glitter Kitties:

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Released: DI Foley Fatukasi

Released: CB Darious Williams

Released: S Rayshawn Jenkins

Franchise-tagged: EDGE Josh Allen

Re-signed: G Ezra Cleveland (three years, $28.5M)

Re-signed: S Daniel Thomas (two years, $4M)

Re-signed: DI Jeremiah Ledbetter (TBD)

Acquired via trade: QB Mac Jones

Signed: C Mitch Morse (two years, $10.5M)

Signed: WR Gabe Davis (three years, $39M)

Signed: S Darnell Savage (three years, TBD)

Signed: WR Devin Duvernay (two years, $8.5M)

Signed: CB Ronald Darby (two years, $8.5M)

Re-signed: RB D’Ernest Johnson (one year, TBD)

Signed: DI Arik Armstead (three years, $51M)

Jacksonville may still be able to retain wide receiver Calvin Ridley, but if not, this is a bit of a puzzling pivot. Davis had games where he took over, most memorably the playoff game where he went for 200 receiving yards with four touchdowns, but the week-to-week consistency in a pass-happy, high-octane Josh Allen offense was never there.

After Jacksonville acquired Cleveland at the trade deadline for just a sixth-round pick, they smartly got an extension done before the market at interior offensive line continues to grow. Trevor Lawrence needs much better protection going forward, and the Jaguars are making several moves to ensure they improve.

Jacksonville used the first pick in the third round of 2022 on center Luke Fortner, but they deserve commendation for admitting that was a miss and taking advantage of Mitch Morse getting released in Buffalo. Morse played for Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson when he was the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, and he offers an extremely high floor as a pass protector.

PFF FREE AGENCY GRADE: B-

Then we have the BESFs, who are apparently too busy looking for other teams to impersonate to concern themselves with bettering their own identity. Oh well, they can’t all be the Houston Oilers, can they?

TENNESSEE TITANS

Re-signed: LS Morgan Cox (one year, $1.377M)

Signed: RB Tony Pollard (three years, $24M)

Signed: C Lloyd Cushenberry III (four years, $50M)

Signed: CB Chidobe Awuzie (three years, TBD)

Signed: LB Kenneth Murray Jr. (two years, $15.5M)

Signed: G Saahdiq Charles (one year, TBD)

Signed: QB Mason Rudolph (one year, TBD)

Signed: WR Calvin Ridley (four years, $92M)

Re-signed: K Nick Folk (one year, $3.755M)

Re-signed: WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (one year, TBD)

Released: T Andre Dillard

Ridley was the big fish on the market once all of the top wideouts either re-signed or got franchise-tagged. For most of free agency, it seemed that Ridley’s options were the Jaguars or Patriots, but the Titans came in toward the end with a strong offer to close the deal. The Titans did have a need at wide receiver, but there is some risk to paying Ridley more than $90 million when he’s going to turn 30 in December. Tennessee is also paying Ridley as a top-10 wide receiver even though he ranked 45th in PFF receiving grade, 50th in yards per route run and in the top 25 in drop rate this past season.

Tennessee desperately needed help across the offensive line, and center was a smart place to start with Aaron Brewer on the way out in free agency. Will Levis gets a veteran who can pass block as well as any center across the league, one with the potential for continued growth as he works under offensive line coach Bill Callahan.

Tennessee is set to lose Derrick Henry, and no running back can fill that void, so the team is pairing Pollard with 2023 rookie Tyjae Spears. Both players can do it all, in particular catching the ball cleanly without having to slow down to gather, and their presence on the field will never be a tell. Perhaps a short-yardage/bell-cow type could be a welcome addition, as well. Nonetheless, until the Titans massively upgrade their offensive line, it won’t matter who is in the backfield.

PFF FREE AGENCY GRADE: B

And, that brings us to the best grade in the AFC South, your Houston Texans:

HOUSTON TEXANS

Re-signed: TE Dalton Schultz (three years, $36M)

Re-signed: K Ka’imi Fairbairn (three years, $15.9M)

Re-signed: CB Kris Boyd (one year, TBD)

Re-signed: S Eric Murray (one year, $1.75M)

Re-signed: CB Desmond King II (one year, $2.2M)

Re-signed: DI Khalil Davis (one year, TBD)

Signed: DI Foley Fatukasi (one year, TBD)

Signed: S Lonnie Johnson Jr. (TBD)

Signed: CB Jeff Okudah (one year, $4.75M)

Signed: EDGE Denico Autry (two years, $20M)

Signed: CB Mike Ford (two years, $4.5M)

Re-signed: WR Noah Brown (one year, TBD)

Signed: LB Azeez Al-Shaair (three years, $34M)

Signed: P Tommy Townsend (two years, $6M)

Signed: LB Del’Shawn Phillips (one year, TBD)

Acquired via trade: RB Joe Mixon

Signed: EDGE Danielle Hunter (two years, $49M)

Signed: T David Sharpe (two years, TBD)

Signed: DI Tim Settle (two years, TBD)

Re-signed: T Charlie Heck (one year, TBD)

Houston makes its splash once and for all, with a monster two-year pact for a veteran edge rusher to pair with reigning defensive rookie of the year Will Anderson Jr. The two-year term is quite perfect, as it lines up with the two years before Houston may have to reset the quarterback market with an extension for C.J. Stroud. Hunter, Anderson and fellow free-agent addition Denico Autry will be a force up front for DeMeco Ryans’ defense.

Al-Shaair reunites with Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, who coached him as the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers before his departure last offseason. Al-Shaair adds a tenacity in run defense that benefits any team, and he still played every down at full speed despite bumping his play time way up to over 1,100 snaps in 2023.

Autry is still a disruptive force across the defensive line that DeMeco Ryans can align in various spots to wreak havoc alongside Will Anderson Jr. and Maliek Collins. More reinforcements would make sense, but Autry is still playing at the peak of his powers in his mid-30s.

Schultz’s decision to sign in Houston proved to be one of the smartest choices of last year’s free agency period. He developed an immediate connection with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and made himself indispensable to offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik as a solid run blocker.

PFF FREE AGENCY GRADE: A

The Demeco Ryans defense is going to strike fear in opponents all season long. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. are automatically in the “best EDGE combo” conversation. Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud handing off to Joe Mixon is going to give opposing defenses fits.

So, guess what AFC South, the reigning division champion just got better.

You’ve been warned.