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The Houston Texans continued to make strides in 2024, solidifying themselves as a team on the rise. With quarterback CJ Stroud leading the way and head coach DeMeco Ryans fostering a culture of toughness and accountability, Houston posted a 10-7 record and clinched a playoff berth again. The Texans even secured another postseason victory before falling in the AFC Divisional Round. Now, as they look to build on that success and take the next step toward title contention, they must make some difficult roster decisions.
With Stroud entering his third season, he has already flashed superstar potential. He has navigated both his early growing pains and moments of brilliance. The biggest challenge for Houston this offseason is optimizing the roster around Stroud. If the Texans hope to compete for the AFC South title again in 2025, they will need to free up cap space. That’s a challenge given their limited avenues for savings.
The first major move came with the firing of offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and the hiring of former Rams pass game coordinator Nick Caley to take over the offense. Now, the Texans must ensure Caley has the right pieces in place. It starts with improving the offensive line, as Stroud was sacked 52 times. That was the second most in the NFL. The offense could also use additional playmakers to complement wide receiver Nico Collins and running back Joe Mixon. They need to give Stroud more weapons to work with as Houston aims to build a more dynamic and balanced attack in 2025.
Here we’ll try to identify the three players who are the Houston Texans cut candidates entering the 2025 NFL offseason.
Signed as a veteran pass-rusher to strengthen Houston’s defensive line, Denico Autry delivered decent production in 2024. However, he now finds himself as a potential cap casualty. At 34 years old, his value to the team is being weighed against the need for financial flexibility. Autry managed three sacks and nine pressures last season, proving he can still contribute a bit in a rotational role. That said, with Will Anderson Jr emerging as a defensive cornerstone and other younger edge rushers like Derek Barnett stepping up, the Texans could choose to move on from Autry.
While restructures and extensions may be the more viable route, cutting Autry is one of the few moves that could provide immediate relief. He played just 25 percent of Houston’s defensive snaps in 2024. Those numbers fall short of justifying his $11 million cap hit. Cutting him would free up nearly $6 million. That could be reinvested into a more cost-efficient defensive reinforcement or used elsewhere to improve the roster.
At one point, Dameon Pierce seemed poised to be Houston’s franchise running back. He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2022 with 939 rushing yards in just 13 games. However, injuries and a declining efficiency rate derailed his trajectory in 2023....
