The Houston Texans upgraded their receiver room tremendously this past offseason, but the running game shouldn't be forgotten either.
The Texans traded for Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon and added veteran Cam Akers in free agency at the start of training camp. The two of them coupled with Dameon Pierce should form a strong backfield in Houston, and head coach DeMeco Ryans has a plan on how to utilize them.
"I think it will be week by week depending on who has the hot hand," Ryans said. "If the defense that week dictates that we throw the ball more, then we'll rely on throwing the football because we feel like we have a good core group there at receivers and tight end to be able to throw the ball around. When we need to run it, whenever it calls for that, I feel like Joe (Mixon) can do a great job of running the ball for us as well. I think weekly it will change depending on who we're facing and where we feel like our strengths are needed for that particular week.”
That's similar to how Ryans operated last year. He started the season out with Pierce, but when he got hurt, the Texans turned to Devin Singletary, who had the hot hand for nearly the entire season.
Singletary signed with the New York Giants in free agency, prompting the Texans to trade for Mixon.
The Texans are a high-octane offense, but having a ground game will always be important, and it appears they are confident in what they have there at the position.
