Texans' Caserio Has Houston in 'Better Situation' Than 2021
The Houston Texans are entering Year 2 of general manager Nick Caserio's tenure, and things are looking up. In 2021, Caserio took over a team with virtually no cap space and no draft capital, and the Texans were without a first or second-round pick thanks to a 2019 trade with Miami for Laremy Tunsil.
But Caserio has improved Houston's cap situation and regained some draft capital since then thanks to some creative free agent signings and his overhaul of the roster in training camp.
"I'd say cap-wise we're in a little bit better situation than we were kind of the start of last offseason," Caserio said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I think we're honestly middle of the league right now. That's before we do anything. You can create cap space in many different ways, so you want to have a manageable amount. I'd say your cap situation is also going to dictate the pool of players that you're going to maybe have an opportunity to add to your roster during free agency."
As he enters Year 2, Caserio and the Texans will have access to that larger pool of free agents and more draft prospects, thanks to the No. 3 overall pick, as well as having first and second-round picks this year.
© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
"I think the most important thing for us is to kind of know as many players as possible," Caserio said. "I'd say relative to last season we're in a little different position relative to eliminating call it 55, 60 players last year that we knew we weren't going to have access to. Now I'd say the pool of players is a little bit wider."
In 2020, Houston had just five draft picks, and none until the third round at No. 67 overall when it selected quarterback Davis Mills. Caserio and the Texans have four picks in the top 80 and nine overall this April.
