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  • HOU Safety #23
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    Texans restructured S Eric Murray’s contract.
    This marks the second-straight year in which Murray has restructured his deal with the Texans. Set to earn $3.75 million in base salary, the Texans are likely converting a portion of this into a bonus to free up a few million dollars in cap space. Murray is heading into his fourth season with the Texans and has appeared in 47 games for them since 2020.

  • HOU Tight End #83
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    Irv Smith caught a two-yard pass in the Texans’ Divisional Round loss to the Chiefs.
    With the Texans hard up for pass catchers, Smith was active for only the seventh time all year. He had another catch called back by holding. His grab that did count was his first of the entire season. Going on 27, 2019 second-rounder Smith has just about faded out of the league.
  • HOU Wide Receiver #19
    Xavier Hutchinson caught 4-of-6 targets for 52 yards in the Texans’ Divisional Round loss to the Chiefs.
    With the Texans short-handed at receiver and predictably playing from behind, second-year pro Hutchinson set a new season high for targets. It, of course, is never a great sign when your season high for targets is six and it comes under depth chart duress during the playoffs. Going on 25 with only 20 career regular season grabs, Hutchinson should not be considered a 2025 53-man roster lock. He will be given the benefit of the doubt, however, especially since he stands in at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds.
  • HOU Wide Receiver #8
    John Metchie caught 2-of-2 targets for 35 yards in the Texans’ Divisional Round loss to the Chiefs.
    The Texans’ emergency No. 2 wideout since Tank Dell’s gruesome Week 16 knee injury, 24-year-old Metchie heads into the offseason having cleared 50 yards receiving only one time all year. That was before Dell’s ailment but during Nico Collins’ absence in Week 10. Heading into the final year of his rookie deal, Metchie has caught at least 30 balls each of the past seasons after missing 2022 with illness. Not a bad floor, but Metchie has not hinted at ceiling, while the Texans have given zero indication they expect Metchie to further ascend the depth chart. He’s a role player who might not be guaranteed to crack the 53-man roster in 2025. Missing out would admittedly be unlikely.
  • KC Tight End #87
    Travis Kelce caught 7-of-8 targets for 117 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs’ Divisional Round win over the Texans.
    Like clockwork, 35-year-old Kelce woke up for his best game of the year as soon as the calendar turned to “playoffs.” His 117 yards were a new season high, and broke his tie with Jerry Rice for the most 100-yard performances in playoff history (Kelce now has nine). Despite the stuffed stat sheet, Kelce is visibly not the same player he was in his prime. He looked a bit like Russell Wilson in the open field this afternoon. He’s just so savvy at finding the soft spots in the defense. He will be an AFC Championship Game X-factor regardless of opponent.
  • HOU Tight End #86
    Dalton Schultz caught 4-of-4 targets for 63 yards in the Texans’ Divisional Round loss to the Chiefs.
    In the first season of a surprisingly lucrative three-year contract, 28-year-old Schultz slumped to five-year lows in receptions (53), yards (532) and touchdowns (two). This, despite the fact that Stefon Diggs never really got going before his ACL injury and Nico Collins spent time on injured reserve with a hamstring issue. Tank Dell was also lost in Week 16 to a knee issue. Schultz is a classic catch-and-fall specialist who long ago maxed out his talent, so it’s not like he has another level to ascend to. That being said, he probably ran unreasonably cold this year, and catching 50 balls five straight seasons is no small feat for a seam stretcher. Schultz will keep hanging around the TE1 periphery in 2025.
  • HOU Running Back #31
    Dameon Pierce rushed four times for 10 yards in the Texans’ Divisional Round loss to the Chiefs.
    Pierce was held without a catch on one target. An impressive 2022 rookie who badly regressed as a sophomore, Pierce never threatened trade acquisition Joe Mixon’s 2024 touch domination. He had an opportunity when Mixon missed Weeks 3-5 with an ankle injury, but Pierce was sidelined with a hamstring issue of his own. Pierce caught two balls all season, and failed to reach 10 touches in a contest until the resting Texans’ exhibition-style Week 18 win over the Titans. That’s where Pierce generated 60 percent of his 2024 rushing gains thanks to a 92-yard house call. Although Pierce is signed cheaply for 2025, we wouldn’t assume he merely finishes out his rookie deal as the unquestioned No. 2.
  • HOU Running Back #28
    Joe Mixon rushed 18 times for 88 yards and a touchdown in the Texans’ Divisional Round loss to the Chiefs, adding two receptions for 12 yards.
    A survivor of multiple hip-drop tackles, 28-year-old trade acquisition Mixon crossed the 1,000-yard rushing threshold for the fifth time despite missing Weeks 3-5 with an ankle injury. Somewhat surprisingly the engine of the Texans’ offense all season, Mixon stacked up ridiculous workloads as slumping sophomore QB C.J. Stroud and OC Bobby Slowik tried to figure out what to do with each other. As always, Mixon was not efficient — he averaged 4.1 yards per carry and was middle of the pack in rush yards over expected — but he was tough and productive. He always got what was blocked. Guaranteed $4 million for 2025, Mixon will be back as the Texans’ lead back, though they could look to upgrade Dameon Pierce in the No. 2 spot.
  • HOU Wide Receiver #12
    Nico Collins caught 5-of-8 targets for 81 yards in the Texans’ Divisional Round loss to the Chiefs.
    As was the case all season long, Collins was a rare Texan who was never part of the problem on Saturday. Of course, it was a big problem when Collins missed Weeks 6-10 with a hamstring injury. The 25-year-old now has a concerning history of lower-body muscle issues. Then again, not even that could stop him from surpassing 1,000 yards in only 12 games played. Collins confirmed his 2023 was every bit a genuine breakout and the furthest thing from a fluke. A 6-foot-4 sideline dominator in an era of tiny YAC merchants, Collins can also do major damage over the middle of the field. He is unquestionably one of the league’s 4-5 best wideouts. Now he just needs to figure out how to keep his leg muscles healthy.
  • HOU Quarterback #7
    C.J. Stroud completed 19-of-28 passes for 245 scoreless yards in the Texans’ 23-14, Divisional Round loss to the Chiefs, adding six carries for 42 yards.
    As was the case for most of the stretch run, Stroud was besieged and confused behind the Texans’ battered line, taking a ridiculous eight sacks for a ruinous 58 yards. The reigning offensive rookie of the year, Stroud started slow this season and never really heated up. After posting a 7:3 TD:INT total across his first five starts, that ratio fell to 13:9 over his final 12 appearances. He never reached 300 yards after October 6, watching his rookie touchdown rate fall as his interception and sack percentages climbed. Shaky under pressure after handling the blitz well as a rookie, Stroud also struggled to hit big plays. Injuries to Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs played a part, but Stroud collapsed down field. After challenging for the league lead with 66 20-plus yard completions in 2023, Stroud saw that number fall to 42 in 2024. That was despite making two more starts. As was the case his rookie year, Stroud often felt held back by OC Bobby Slowik’s play-calling, but it’s difficult for an outsider to know just how much of that was a coordinator protecting his quarterback. All of this, of course, buries the lede that this is still a young QB who has now piloted at least one playoff victory each of his first two seasons. Stroud did not collapse as a sophomore. He just needs to rediscover his momentum heading into 2025.
  • ATL Defensive Coordinator
    Falcons hired ex-Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinator.
    A helpless observer to the Jets’ slow-burn 2024 fiasco after they scapegoated Robert Saleh, Ulbrich is short on actual coordinating experience, but he profiles as a trusted lieutenant for Raheem Morris. Ulbrich worked alongside Morris for five years in Atlanta under Dan Quinn. He’s a stabilizing hire, not someone who is being brought in to shake things up. We assume Morris will mostly function as his own boss.