Five Questions with 790’s Matt Thomas

The midday host joins BRB for five questions on the Houston Texans

Matt Thomas is one of the busiest guys in Houston sports. He has a midday show on 790 and doubles as the play by play announcer for the Houston Rockets during their season as well. He agreed to take some time from his busy schedule again to answer some questions about your Houston Texans since the draft and free agency are in the rearview mirror.

Battle Red Blog: What do you think are reasonable expectations for C.J. Stroud in year one? Where do you see his ceiling when he does reach his potential?

Matt Thomas: This still should be a run first team in 2023. So with that said, I would think 3,500 yards is a completely reachable goal. I would not put a number on touchdowns and interceptions because it’s just a guessing game. We don’t know yet if this is going to be a high scoring team or if it will be a squad that will try to run long time consuming possessions. In today’s NFL world, good starting quarterbacks should comfortably throw for 4,000 plus yards with a 2.5/1 TD to INT ratio.

BRB: Obviously, Nick Caserio gave up a lot to get Will Anderson. Do you think the gamble will ultimately be worth it? If not, what would you have liked to have seen the team do there instead?

MT: The Texans as a franchise have never been described as bold. That was until after night 1 of the draft. I have no problem with them doing this because of 1 simple reason. I don’t care what anybody else is saying, the McNairs had to have told them to get a quarterback in the first round no matter who it was. Nick I believed wanted Anderson. I believe the McNairs told Caserio you have the draft capitol to make the move to 3. But make no mistake, the Texans weren’t leaving the first round of the draft without a quarterback.

BRB: Most of the focus will be on Anderson and Stroud, but who are one or two guys from day two and three that you think the Texans fan base should keep their eye on? Do you have a personal favorite selection?

MT: A personal favorite of mine is fellow Cougar Tank Dell. I look forward to seeing him doing a variety of things for the team whether it be as a slot receiver in a 4 receiver set or perhaps as a returner on special teams. His YAC was fun to watch in college and I would expect more of the same in the NFL.

BRB: June 1st will bring another round of cuts and movement in free agency. Are there any positions you think the Texans should target?

MT: I think they should look to add additional depth at wide receiver and in the secondary. I don’t envision anyone signing in the next few weeks becoming a starter. Maybe some training camp bodies or additions to the depth chart.

BRB: Vegas had the Texans at 5.5 wins before the draft. If I set the number at 6.5 are you going over or under? Are there any developments (on the positive end) that could change that number significantly?

MT: I would still take the under. Everybody says the schedule is easier this year with a bunch of wins available. Guess what? Other teams are saying the same things about the Texans. This will be a growing pains season for the young first round picks and a rookie HC and OC. I think they are at max a 5 or 6 win team. If they win 4 or less games, Caserio will be looking for work.

We wanted to thank Matt again for joining us for our questions on the Texans after the draft. Ironically, the Rockets and the Texans are in very similar positions these days as they try to claw their way back to relevance. So, Thomas is in a unique position to cover both of these teams in amazing detail. You can listen to 12 to 3 every day of the week.