Are the Houston Texans trying to tank in the 2021 NFL season?
Apart from the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans are having one of the worst seasons in the NFL. The drama for the team began in the offseason with franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson requesting a trade. The drama would go further as he was accused of 21 counts of sexual assault.
This led to the team benching Watson for the entire season, leaving their quarterback room lacking in talent. Things got worse when Tyrod Taylor was injured. The Texans have done little to nothing to help bolster their team, leaving many to wonder if the Texans are purposely tanking.
Who or what are the Texans tanking for?
Claiming that the Houston Texans are tanking their season is a serious allegation, but, sometimes, tanking an entire season for higher draft picks is what is needed to bolster a team, especially when looking for a franchise quarterback.
The Houston Texans are the first NFL team to be officially eliminated from playoff contention this season. https://t.co/ViSNWOSbKf
The Miami Dolphins were mentioned in the same type of situation when the media went crazy with the whole "Tank for Tua" campaign. The Dolphins didn't quite help their cause as they began to offload their entire roster. The Dolphins sent Laramy Tunsil and Kenny Stills to the Texans and sent Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Whether or not that works is still up for debate.
Now the Texans could be in the same situation, as they are not fighting very hard to win games. Most of the Texans' games have been one-sided affairs, including the 31-0 score that the Colts delivered on Sunday. The Texans have mostly been quiet on the free agency front as well.
The Texans currently hold the #2 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The second overall pick is a good place to be, and they could be either losing games to keep that spot or use that spot to help garner more first-round picks.
The Texans will need a new franchise quarterback, as they will likely give in and trade Watson in the offseason to any number of teams needing a franchise quarterback. Moving Watson could help stack even more first-round selections for the 2022 Draft and beyond.
Quarterback Malik Willis of the Liberty and Sam Howell of North Carolina could be two players the Texans will be aiming for when picking second in the 2022 NFL Draft. Tyrod Taylor doesn't seem like a long-term answer and rookie Davis Mills is certainly not ready either.
Tyrod Taylor’s four stints as a starter:
▫️Bills: benched for Nathan Peterman (only for 1 game)
▫️Browns: benched for Baker Mayfield after a concussion
▫️Chargers: benched for Justin Herbert after a needle to the lung
▫️Texans: benched for Davis Mills
He can’t catch a break. twitter.com/adamschefter/s…
The Texans wanting to tank their season could also be related to head coach David Culley, who hasn't been the best example for the team. The players may have given up on him and have banded together to make sure they get a new regime change when this season ends.
This is all speculation, of course, but there could be a great number of things going on within the Texans organization that require a heavy overhaul of the front office and players alike. The Texans could be tanking to set up their future with draft picks and available players. The upcoming 2022 offseason will certainly help decipher their plans.