Five Texans Questions: Houston Football’s Cody Stoots

Cody Stoots of Houston Football joins BRB for five questions.

Cody Stoots has been covering Houston sports for a number of years and last year he joined the new wave of sports media by stepping out on his own and developing his own site. Stoots started Houston Football last year in an effort to get ahead of the curve and offer various forms of media (website, podcasts, video) to bring more specialized and comprehensive coverage of the Houston Texans and local college football.

We caught up with Cody to get the ball rolling on the offseason. The Texans have tons of decisions to make on their own free agents, free agents around the league, and the draft. We wanted to catch up with some local experts to get their take on the Texans and this important offseason. Cody gets to lead us off.

Battle Red Blog: DeMeco Ryans and Bobby Slowik came within an eyelash of being COTY and assistant COTY. What are some areas of growth you’d like to see from them?

Cody Stoots: DeMeco Ryans has a tougher job when assessing his improvement because he is more player-dependent and can be massively affected by the offense. I like how he leveled things out late, especially after the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns games. He wasn’t coaching a full-strength team at the end of the season. It is hard to say improve specifically when talking about him because I expect with added talent on defense he will add to his ability.

For Bobby Slowik, it’s a game feel. He just has to get more and more comfortable understanding when to take shots and chances. The playoff game in Baltimore felt like a step back but I saw tremendous growth from the start of the season to the end of the season from him. I believe he will get more comfortable with the headset and trust C.J. Stroud even more than this season.

BRB: Obviously, C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson were the keys on offense and defense and will be moving forward. Where would you like to see them grow the most?

CS: C.J. Stroud could turn in the same season and we might all be happy! For him, I would say there isn’t much I can specifically say he needs to improve on, but growth everywhere will be expected. I suppose he could trust his legs a bit more, he will extend a play and try to make a throw and sometimes there was a run lane, but I also understand he’s trying to make a good play. If Stroud just gets a little better on all the aspects of his game I would be more than fine with his 2024 season.

Will Anderson’s hopeful improvement spot would be when the other team KNOWS Anderson has to make a play, can he go and still make that play? The great ones do it all the time. It is third and medium, the offense knows Anderson is flying off the edge, will he make that play? Just a few more of those and the Texans are a better defense than last season.

BRB: The Texans have a lot of FAs to consider. Who are the three you would most like to bring back?

CS: I believe the team needs Dalton Schultz back. There isn’t a veteran close to him in talent and I don’t trust young or unproven players at tight end. C.J. Stroud speaks so highly of Schultz that I believe it would be a mistake to let him go.

I’d like to see Blake Cashman back as a key backup. He might have the opportunity to start somewhere, but Cashman along with Harris and maybe a free agent is the start to a very solid linebacking room.

The other one, or two in this case I count them together, would be the specialists. I am not often a special teams guy, but if it isn’t broken don’t let it get broken, and don’t try to fix it. Ka’imi Fairbairn missed two kicks in the regular season. I know the extra point against the Colts could have got nasty and the missed field goal in the playoffs stunk but changing kickers scares me. Just look at the San Francisco 49ers. Cameron Johnston is one of the better punters in the league. It isn’t quite as drastic as changing kickers, but don’t make a move when you don’t have to make a move.

BRB: The Texans do have some cap room this year. In general do you prefer more smaller signings or fewer bigger signings?

CS: For this offseason, I like the idea of a big investment and then filling in around that player. For most offseasons, I would prefer a handful of middling investments but this offseason has me hoping the Texans aim big. If the Texans get one “A” signing and have a few “C” and “D” additions I like that more than multiple “B” additions. Yes, there is plenty to do, but between free agency with the money they have and the draft class, there are enough resources to dream big.

BRB: Do you have a favorite name or two you’d like to see the Texans target in free agency?

CS: Chris Jones is my favorite in this free agent group but he seems unlikely to leave Kansas City at this point. So dropping down from him I look at Ravens DT Justin Madubuike and Panthers LB Frankie Luvu on defense. Madubuike terrorized the NFL this year and annihilated the Texans in the playoffs. Luvu almost single-handedly won the game against the Texans when they visited Carolina.

I look at the running backs on offense. One of the two studs either Saquon Barkley or Josh Jacobs. There is enough to invest in running back and still address other concerns with free agency.

We want to thank Cody for taking the time to answer our questions. He provides excellent coverage of the Texans for just seven dollars a month. That fee gives you access to all kinds of content from someone that have covered the Texans for more than a decade and is a regular fixture at practices, games, and press events. It’s going to be a fun offseason. Buckle up everyone.