Nick Caserio Reveals How Houston Texans Will Approach Trade Deadline

The Houston Texans might be playing themselves into a playoff race, which puts general manager Nick Caserio in an interesting spot at the bye week.

The Houston Texans may find themselves at an inflection point come the Oct. 31 trade deadline. For now, they head into a Week 7 bye as the darlings of the football world.

Houston has defied the odds and the expectations early in the 2023 season, playing .500 football through the first six weeks of the year. The team has beaten quality teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints and has made it clear that the offense is a force to be reckoned with -- of course, led by rookie phenom, quarterback C.J. Stroud.

The Texans don’t currently hold a playoff spot, but with only one true contender in the AFC South being a team they’ve already beaten, mid-January football is a growing possibility.

Nick Caserio and the quarterback that has made deadline buying a possibility, C.J. Stroud / ClutchPoints

Will they make the requisite moves at the deadline?

It’s an interesting question that may have an impact both on and off the field. Houston was firmly in a rebuild, but one could argue the success of this young team has accelerated that timeline. Giving up a draft pick in 2024 could be detrimental if things fall back down to Earth. It’s possible Houston decision-makers feel that’s enough to stay put on Halloween.

General manager Nick Caserio spoke about the possibilities approaching in the next two weeks.

“If there’s something externally we think could have an impact we’ll look into that. If there isn’t, then we won’t,” he said. “There’s also a financial component. We have a pretty good working budget for the rest of the year. We could take on a certain contract. We try to make good decisions.”

Caserio’s bold strategy of making good decisions aside, Houston has a choice in front of it. A late-round pick for the right veteran could swing playoff odds’ in its favor. However, even optimistic interpretations of this Texans team fall short of the Super Bowl, and there isn’t an acquirable asset that changes that. Caserio could be justified in feeling that buying isn’t worthwhile when a Lombardi Trophy is still so far away.

That decision, though, could be taken a couple of ways in the locker room. Is the front office staying put because they are confident in the roster, or because the roster isn’t worth further investment? Caserio sitting on his hands may be more of a detriment to Houston’s season than just the opportunity cost of a veteran.

Whether they’re willing to admit it or not, Week 8’s contest against the Carolina Panthers— breaking the Texans’ .500 record in one way or another—could impact trade discussions.