The Houston Texans are heading into 2026 with a lot to prove on offense, but the early buzz around the unit is real. After a 2025 season that fell short of expectations, Houston spent the offseason reworking the group around C.J. Stroud, and that overhaul has already caught the attention of national analysts.
The strongest vote of confidence came from The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen, who named the Texans among his top five breakout offenses for the upcoming season. For Nguyen, the case starts with Stroud, whose first two years have been uneven after a standout rookie season. The former No. 2 overall pick has had to deal with shaky offensive line play, coaching changes, and an offense that never settled into a clear identity.
Nguyen still sees the talent and the upside. He wrote, "We’ve seen young quarterbacks like Lawrence and Baker Mayfield struggle in bad offenses and have their careers resurrected when their surroundings improve," Nguyen wrote.
"Stroud has struggled for two seasons after a strong rookie campaign, but I still believe he can rebound in his second season in Caley’s offense. With a season of added responsibility at the line of scrimmage under his belt, Stroud should be much more comfortable and, theoretically, the ability to adjust protections and change plays can be an advantage."
That point gets to the heart of Houston’s optimism. Nick Caley now has a full year working with Stroud, and that kind of continuity matters. The hope is that a cleaner grasp of the system will cut down on the communication and timing problems that showed up throughout last season.
Houston also made sure Stroud won’t be carrying the load alone. The Texans brought in running back David Montgomery and added several new offensive linemen, moves designed to make the offense more balanced and less predictable. Nico Collins is still one of the league’s top receivers, and rookie wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel bring more speed and versatility to a passing game that could use both.
The Texans don’t have to lead the league in scoring to make Nguyen’s prediction look smart. They just need to look like the efficient, dangerous offense many expected after Stroud’s rookie year. If the line holds up, the run game becomes more dependable, and Stroud takes another step in Caley’s system, Houston has a clear path to living up to the breakout talk in 2026.
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