C.J. Stroud Injury History & Analysis

The Jaguars are trading WR Christian Kirk to the Texans for a seventh-round pick in 2026, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The compensation's obviously low because the Jags had already made it known they planned to release Kirk. By giving up a late pick in next year's draft, Houston gets the final year of Kirk's existing contract (at $16.5 million) instead of having to compete for him on the open market.

The Texans hired Nick Caley as their new OC, replacing Bobby Slowik. Caley spent the past two seasons working under Sean McVay in Los Angeles, holding the title of TEs coach in 2023 and passing game coordinator last year. He was with the Patriots from 2015 through 2022. Those first seven offenses were led by OC Josh McDaniels. We'll see what Caley picked up from McVay and McDaniels, but this will be his first time calling plays at any level. Priority No. 1 will be helping QB C.J. Stroud rebound from a disappointing sophomore season. Houston also has work to do on its offensive line and WR corps, with Stefon Diggs a free agent and Tank Dell likely to miss most or all of the 2025 season.

The Texans fired OC Bobby Slowik, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. It's a big fall for Slowik, who was mentioned as a potential HC candidate just a year ago. He helped QB C.J. Stroud to an impressive 2023 rookie season, with Houston finishing 12th in total yards and 13th in points. But Stroud and the Texans offense took a step back this past year, ranking 22nd in yards and 19th in points. Slowik took some heat for a high early-down run rate, but the Texans finished 10th in neutral pass rate and fifth in pass rate over expected. To our eyes, the biggest issue in Houston was an offensive line that ranked 31st in ESPN's run block win rate and 22nd in pass block win rate. We'll see what the Texans do to bolster that unit this offseason -- and who they tab to replace Slowik.