Houston's NFL franchise was the mockery of the league as recently as just 12 months ago, mired in a dismal three-year stretch in which the Texans' owner employed three different head coaches. The instability of 2020-22 was erased last year. McNair and general manager Nick Caserio hired DeMeco Ryans—who fell one vote shy of winning Coach of the Year—in January 2023. Houston's brain trust then drafted C.J. Stroud, the Offensive Rookie of the Year, with the No. 2 pick in April.
The Texans went from the NFL cellar to the postseason in just one year.