Texans Priority: Win Now or Develop Future?

Houston Texans need to find the right balance between winning and developing young talent.

The Houston Texans want to win in 2023. Between bringing in DeMeco Ryans, drafting C.J. Stroud, trading up to get Will Anderson Jr. and organizing the front office, there's a sense of urgency.

You could be questioning, 'Don't the Texans always want to win?' And the answer is no. Look no further than tanking last year to rebuild and reload — which the team has done.

Pro Football Focus, in fact, says Houston's metric of success in 2023 is primarily development.

"Success for the 2023 season should be measured more on the advancement of this young group of core players than by actual wins and losses," PFF writes.

But is that the case? Why can't the Texans do both? This year's team has to be judged by wins and losses because of the organization's sacrifice to put the team in a position to win immediately.

"This roster still needs considerably more talent at all levels, but the trade up to No. 3 overall for Anderson leaves the Texans without their most important future building block — their 2024 first-round pick," PFF continued.

Therein lies the goal: Win enough games so that 2024 first-round pick is less valuable than the public expects. Houston did not trade away the pick assuming it would be in the top five.

"A lot is riding on Stroud and Anderson immediately as a result of the deal, and maybe they’ll be able to transition quickly alongside the veterans the team brought in via free agency, but it’s more likely the Cardinals earned themselves a future top-10 pick with the big draft day deal," PFF concluded.

Maybe Arizona does pick in the top 10 because of a mistake-filled season from Texans' youth, but that's not the goal here. The pick was traded away with the idea that Stroud and Anderson will develop quickly and win now. 

Development is great, but this design doesn't scream 'wait a few years to put it all together.'

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