Despite these horrendous numbers, however, I'm confident that the Texans will be much better defensively in 2009.
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Meanwhile, the only hole up front is at nose tackle, occupied by Travis Johnson. The Texans will be better versus the rush with Smith at left end, but the lack of a solid nose tackle will keep Houston's run defense ranking in the teens.
If I'm right, and the Texans improve their pass rush and generate about 35 sacks, it'll make things easier for their mediocre secondary. Dunta Robinson, once considered one of the premier corners in the NFL, has missed 12 games in the past two seasons. He's fine now, but his injury history says he's unreliable. Jacques Reeves, the other starting corner, played pretty well for Houston after struggling mightily in Dallas. Houston is deep at corner with Fred Bennett, Antwaun Molden and Glover Quin all in the mix.
One thing I thought the Texans should have addressed in the 2009 NFL Draft is their lack of a playmaking safety. The injury-prone Eugene Wilson played well at free safety late in the year for Houston, while the coaching staff seems enamored with strong safety Dominique Barber, who has no career starts. However, neither Wilson nor Barber is even close to being a dominant safety like Indianapolis' Bob Sanders or Tennessee's Michael Griffin.