After only 11 wins in the last three seasons and having just hired their 5th head coach since 2020, it was time for the Houston Texans to start trending upwards. With a young core, the Houston Texans have plenty of primed candidates to have break out seasons. The obvious ones are the Number two and three picks from this year’s draft, CJ Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. With a new coaching staff and nowhere to go but up, here are three other break out candidates for the Houston Texans 2023 season.
3 Break Out Candidates for the Houston Texans
1. Chase Winovich
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Former Patriots LB Chase Winovich – Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
Coming off a season where he missed eight games due to a hamstring injury and leaving a team where Myles Garrett steals all of the sacks, Chase Winovich is in a position to break out and earn him a payday. Winovich had 5.5 sacks in each of his first two seasons in the NFL while only starting nine games. He was the leading sack man for the 2020 New England Patriots defense and was slowed down in 2021-22 due to a nagging hamstring injury.
Heading into his 5th season at 28 years old, this could be a make-or-break year for Winovich. As long as he can stay healthy, he will definitely get the chance to prove himself. Defenses will most likely focus more attention on Will Anderson Jr, and with Jerry Hughes turning 35 this year, there is an opening, and Winovich has the talent to be the number 2 pass rusher on Demeco Ryans’ defense.
He will benefit from learning under defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire, who helped Jerry Hughes get his most sacks since 2014 last season. Also, defensive coordinator Matt Burke, who has a history of improving the front seven, will lead to more passing situations allowing Winovich to get more opportunities to show what he’s got.
2. John Metchie III
Former Alabama WR John Metchie III (8) – SEC MEDIA
After the last two years that John Metchie III has had, there might not be a player more deserving of a breakout year than him. Tearing his ACL in the 2021 SEC Championship game caused him to fall in the NFL draft, and then just a few months before the 2022 NFL season was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, a very curable type of cancer. Making him an early candidate for comeback player of the year.
Overcoming all of this it looks like Metchie III will be a starting wide receiver for the Texans this year. There has been a complete overhaul in wide receivers, with the players who made up over 60% of the targets last year are no longer on the team. Metchie can step into the role as a slot receiver and be a quick option for rookie QB CJ Stroud.
The first goal is for Metchie to get back on the field. If Metchie plays week 1, then that will be a 645-day stretch of not playing a football game. Once he is back, he can return to the explosive slot receiver that tallied over 2 thousand yards on 151 catches for 14 touchdowns his last two seasons at Alabama. Taking charge of the slot position will give him plenty of opportunities to put up numbers and help get this Texans offense back on track.
3. Derek Stingley Jr.
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Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. (24) – Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports
Even after only one season in the NFL, Derek Stingley Jr. has a lot to prove in this upcoming season. Although he played well early for the Texans in 2022 injuries shortened his rookie campaign. In most cases, that wouldn’t be that big of a deal, however, Derek Stingley Jr. was taken 3rd in the 2022 draft, and Sauce Gardner was taken by the New York Jets with the next pick. Gardner had an amazing rookie season earning him a Pro Bowl invitation, First-team All-Pro, and Defensive Rookie of the Year.
For Stingley, there is no question about his talent. He started all 15 games as a true freshman for the 2019 National Champion LSU Tigers and was named a Consensus All-American. In his sophomore season he was named First Team All-SEC even though he only played seven games due to injury. Then in his junior season, he only played three games and then was shut down with a foot injury.
When he is on the field, he can be a difference-maker; he just needs to stay on the field. Then with the addition of Will Anderson Jr. to improve the pass rush and more secondary help in Jimmie Ward, who knows Demeco Ryans’ defense, and Shaquill Griffin, Stingley Jr. is ready to break out this season. So then he can forever avoid hearing, “The Texans should have drafted Sauce.”
All three of these players have dealt with injuries that have kept them off the field. If they are able to stay on the field, then the Texans will have three guys at key positions that will be able to contribute and break out in a big way. The Houston Texan fanbase is ready to have a team be competitive again, and these guys will help make sure that they don’t pick in the top 5 for the 4th season in a row.
