ESPN's Bill Barnwell (formerly with Football Outsiders) has ranked all 32 teams' skill position groups (WRs, RBs, TEs).
1. Niners
2. Eagles
3. Dolphins
4. Texans
Despite the lofty ranking, Barnwell isn't as high on the Texans offseason acquisitions, Diggs and Mixon.
A bit has changed here, huh? The Texans were last year's biggest surprise, as Nico Collins took a major leap forward and Tank Dell, who I expected to be a gadget player and punt returner as a rookie, looked like a superstar before suffering a season-ending fibula injury. Dalton Schultz was a solid tight end in his debut season in Houston, while veterans Devin Singletary and Noah Brown played better than previous campaigns elsewhere. John Metchie and Robert Woods, two players I expected to be regulars in the passing-game rotation, were barely needed afterthoughts in the league's most surprisingly fun offense.
Now, there's no sleeping on the Texans. Collins, Dell and Schultz are all back, and this team has made major upgrades elsewhere. Buoyed by C.J. Stroud's strong performance on a rookie deal, Houston traded a late-round pick for running back Joe Mixon and dealt a second-round pick to shockingly acquire Stefon Diggs from the Bills. With virtually everybody of note besides Singletary from the 2023 team returning to the lineup, this is a deep pool of talent at wideout. On Nos. 1 through 6 at receiver, nobody is deeper than the Texans.
It's the new guys who have me worried a bit, however. Diggs' performance dramatically declined last season. He dropped from 2.7 yards per route run in the first half of the season to 1.5 during the second half. It's possible the Bills offense shifted with Joe Brady taking over as offensive coordinator, but after ranking in the top 10 in ESPN's receiver metrics in each of the five previous seasons, he fell to 67th last season. The route-based metric there, Open Score, was more optimistic about Diggs' performance than the catch-based metrics, suggesting he was better than the final numbers suggested. I'm counting on somewhat of a rebound, but I'm also not expecting a 30-year-old Diggs to be what he was at his best in Buffalo, especially given how many targets he'll need to share with the other players in the offense.
Mixon's name might also be bigger than his production at this point. He was a league-average back last season, generating six rush yards over expectation across 257 carries in Cincinnati. He's topped 10 rush yards over expectation once in the past five seasons. He adds value as a receiver, but he's not regarded as an effective pass-blocker, so the Texans probably need to spot him on passing downs with Dameon Pierce or Dare Ogunbowale. Make no mistake: This is a great set of playmakers. I just think the new additions won't move the needle as much as projected.
The top 4:
Barnwell ranks all 32 NFL teams based on WR, RB and TE talent: Who's No. 1?
Which teams have the best skill position talent around their quarterback? We stacked all 32 from worst to first.www.espn.com
1. Niners
2. Eagles
3. Dolphins
4. Texans
Despite the lofty ranking, Barnwell isn't as high on the Texans offseason acquisitions, Diggs and Mixon.
4. Houston Texans
2023 rank: 32 | 2022 rank: 32A bit has changed here, huh? The Texans were last year's biggest surprise, as Nico Collins took a major leap forward and Tank Dell, who I expected to be a gadget player and punt returner as a rookie, looked like a superstar before suffering a season-ending fibula injury. Dalton Schultz was a solid tight end in his debut season in Houston, while veterans Devin Singletary and Noah Brown played better than previous campaigns elsewhere. John Metchie and Robert Woods, two players I expected to be regulars in the passing-game rotation, were barely needed afterthoughts in the league's most surprisingly fun offense.
Now, there's no sleeping on the Texans. Collins, Dell and Schultz are all back, and this team has made major upgrades elsewhere. Buoyed by C.J. Stroud's strong performance on a rookie deal, Houston traded a late-round pick for running back Joe Mixon and dealt a second-round pick to shockingly acquire Stefon Diggs from the Bills. With virtually everybody of note besides Singletary from the 2023 team returning to the lineup, this is a deep pool of talent at wideout. On Nos. 1 through 6 at receiver, nobody is deeper than the Texans.
It's the new guys who have me worried a bit, however. Diggs' performance dramatically declined last season. He dropped from 2.7 yards per route run in the first half of the season to 1.5 during the second half. It's possible the Bills offense shifted with Joe Brady taking over as offensive coordinator, but after ranking in the top 10 in ESPN's receiver metrics in each of the five previous seasons, he fell to 67th last season. The route-based metric there, Open Score, was more optimistic about Diggs' performance than the catch-based metrics, suggesting he was better than the final numbers suggested. I'm counting on somewhat of a rebound, but I'm also not expecting a 30-year-old Diggs to be what he was at his best in Buffalo, especially given how many targets he'll need to share with the other players in the offense.
Mixon's name might also be bigger than his production at this point. He was a league-average back last season, generating six rush yards over expectation across 257 carries in Cincinnati. He's topped 10 rush yards over expectation once in the past five seasons. He adds value as a receiver, but he's not regarded as an effective pass-blocker, so the Texans probably need to spot him on passing downs with Dameon Pierce or Dare Ogunbowale. Make no mistake: This is a great set of playmakers. I just think the new additions won't move the needle as much as projected.
