AFC South: Do Texans have NFL’s best offense? Crucial year for Jags; Colts, Titans retool
AFC SOUTH
HOUSTON TEXANS
Coach: DeMeco Ryans (second season with the Texans, 10-7 in the regular season, 1-1 in the playoffs).
Last season: 10-7 (first in the division), lost in the AFC Divisional round to Baltimore.
Key additions: RB Joe Mixon, WR Stefon Diggs, T Blake Fisher, EDGE Danielle Hunter, CB Kamari Lassiter.
Key subtractions: RB Devin Singletary, T George Fant, EDGE Jonathan Greenard, DL Sheldon Rankins, LB Denzel Perryman.
Looking ahead: The out-of-nowhere story of last season, the Texans are now one of the hottest names coming into this one. Quarterback C.J. Stroud proved he’s already a star and so Houston added star wide receiver Stefon Diggs in the offseason to give him a bona fide No. 1 target. In a traditionally weak division, the Texans are the clear favorite and have a nice window to contend now while Diggs and star tackle Laremy Tunsil, both 30, are still in their primes and Stroud is on a rookie contract.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Coach: Shane Steichen (second season with the Colts, 9-8 in the regular season).
Last season: 9-8 (third in the division).
Key additions: QB Joe Flacco, RB Trey Sermon, WR Adonai Mitchell, EDGE Laiatu Latu, DL Raekwon Davis.
Key subtractions: QB Gardner Minshew, RB Zack Moss, WR Isaiah McKenzie.
Looking ahead: The Colts are an interesting dark horse in a weak division because quarterback Anthony Richardson’s briefly exhilarating rookie season ended so quickly due to injury. With Richardson and star running back Jonathan Taylor running behind star guard Quenton Nelson, coach Shane Steichen, one of the NFL’s premier run-game designers, could craft a tough-to-stop offense in his second season in Indianapolis after helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl two years ago.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Coach: Doug Pederson (third season with the Jaguars, 60-53-1 in the regular season, 5-3 in the playoffs).
Last season: 9-8 (second in the division).
Key additions: QB Mac Jones, WR Gabe Davis, WR Brian Thomas Jr., Arik Armstead, DL Maason Smith.
Key subtractions: WR Calvin Ridley, EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson, CB Darious Williams, S Rayshawn Jenkins, K Brandon McManus.
Looking ahead: The Jaguars briefly looked like a legitimate AFC contender last season before collapsing down the stretch. Now quarterback Trevor Lawrence is under the microscope after signing a massive five-year, $275 million extension in the offseason. By now, Lawrence should be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, capable of elevating an otherwise pedestrian roster. Jacksonville is still waiting on him to take such a leap, but no one will be surprised if he finally does.
TENNESSEE TITANS
Coach: Brian Callahan (first season as an NFL head coach).
Last season: 6-11 (fourth in the division).
Key additions: RB Tony Pollard, WR Calvin Ridley, IOL Lloyd Cushenberry, CB Chidobe Awuzie, CB L’Jarius Sneed
Key subtractions: QB Ryan Tannehill, RB Derrick Henry, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting, CB K’Von Wallace, S Terrell Edmonds.
Looking ahead: Coach Mike Vrabel is gone and so is star running back Derrick Henry. A new era has arrived for the Titans, who will now try to figure out whether Will Levis is a franchise quarterback after they took him with the first pick of the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. In a weak division, Tennessee would like to see signs of it soon.