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Houston Texans mailbag: Is anyone on the hot seat? Is there hope left for a turnaround?

Nairavoice · Sep 30, 2026 · 8 min read

DeMeco Ryans likely didn’t do himself any favors with the Houston Texans‘ fan base Monday when he proclaimed that he thought his team was making progress after its loss to the Colts on Sunday.

That was the last thing anyone wanted to hear after the Texans fell to 0-3 for the second consecutive season. No one expected such a poor start for a team many believed was capable of making it to a Super Bowl.

But here we are.

Welcome to JMA’s Texans mailbag, where once a week, I answer readers’ questions. To ask me something, use the form below, send me an email or message me on X.

Let’s get to your questions, which may be lightly edited for brevity and/or clarity:

Q: Who do you believe has a hot seat on the Texans staff? –Emi

JMA: Ryans made it fairly clear that he’s sticking with his staff and not making any changes. So I’d say no one is “on the hot seat,” right now.

We also have to remember that it is Week 3. There are 14 more games.

The Texans began the 2025 season 0-3 and finished 12-5. I’m not suggesting that they’ll reel off a win streak similar to last season.

But no one in leadership is planning to make any sudden decisions based on three games. If we’re having this same conversation by Week 8, I may have a different opinion. But for now, no one is on the hot seat.

Q: When can we expect Kayden McDonald and Braden Smith back off injured reserve? –KO

JMA: Both were projected to be out four to six weeks when they suffered their initial injuries, and both appear to be coming along well. They’re eligible to return after Sunday’s game against the Cowboys. So I’d expect their window to return to practice should open up within the next two weeks or so.

Q:If the Texans end up becoming sellers at the deadline, who do you think they could realistically trade for some value? –FondofHouSports

JMA: I don’t envision the Texans becoming sellers at the deadline. If anything, they’ll be buyers depending on their needs then at the time. Injuries are always the biggest factor.

This offseason will become interesting, however. I think Nico Collins is someone the Texans could consider trading when teams call again to gauge their interest.

While I know they love him, his contract expires after the 2027 season, and he has yet to receive a new deal. His trade value is still great, which would give general manager Nick Caserio something to think about. The Texans would have to feel comfortable that Jayden Higgins was ready to take that next step as a No. 1 wide receiver first.

To be clear, I’m not saying the Texans will trade Collins. But teams certainly will call the Texans, who will almost certainly listen to those calls and what these teams have to offer.

Q: How long until someone (Nick Caley) loses their job?

–TexansUpdatez

JMA: Bold prediction: Nick Caley will remain the offensive coordinator through the 2026 regular season.

Ryans is not going to make such a drastic decision without taking the time to mull it over and after he’s gathered the facts. And he certainly wouldn’t make it during the season with there still being a chance to make the playoffs.

In-season coordinator changes never work out for the teams making them. I understand the frustration, but doing so just doesn’t make sense.

It would only make sense if the head coach was an offensive play-caller himself, which Ryans is not.

Q: If C.J. Stroud happens to sign a long-term deal, how well can you still build around the team with cap restrictions?

If you could trade one player to get better at a position, who would it be? –Dr. B

JMA: The good news is that a new contract for Stroud wouldn’t kick in until the 2028 season. So you’d have one more season after this year to make it work before having to make any big cost-saving measures.

But in 2028, cuts will need to be made. The big contracts to watch are Collins, Kamari Lassiter, Danielle Hunter and Calen Bullock. I think the Texans will only be able to make two of those contracts work.

Trading a player likely wouldn’t help the Texans get better at a position. But the Texans must figure out how to improve their offensive line next season.

Q: Is (DeMeco Ryans) considering hiring a timeout coach? He needs one. –RoyLYoung

JMA: Ryans said Sunday that he has people in the booth that help him with game management and tell him how much time is left on the clock.

Whoever it is didn’t do a great job Sunday.

Q: Marlin Klein was a second-round pick and many thought that was too early. Klein’s snap counts over the last three games are 9, 9 and 3. Who is wrong? (Nick) Caserio for drafting him too early? (Nick) Caley for not using him properly? –Nomad Scott

JMA: Usually when a player is talented, but isn’t seeing the field, it’s probably because there are things you don’t typically see that he’s doing wrong. I can recall in Week 1 that Klein missed a block, which led to a tackle for a loss. He didn’t play the rest of the game.

I don’t know the specifics of his case, but Klein was always projected to be a project.

So maybe that’s on Caserio for drafting him so early. What I can say is, they initially wanted to draft him in the third round, but were unable to when they couldn’t move back. That’s neither here nor there, though.

Q: I’m still holding out hope … is there any? –Sandy

JMA:

Of course. We know the Texans have a talented team and are expected to get some reinforcements back soon. And they’ve come back before.

It’s not like the Jaguars are some juggernaut, either. The AFC South is winnable.

So there’s hope. But they can’t lose this week’s game to the Cowboys.

Q: Does a serious conversation need to be had about Nick Caserio’s employment given that it’s year 6 and the offensive line has yet to be positively addressed in any meaningful way?– Johnny James

JMA: I think that’s fair.

Caserio has been here the longest. Many of the staff members were hired by him. He oversaw all the drafts and free agency. Why have the Texans failed to build a legitimate offensive line?

If they fall short of their goal again, at some point, the ownership group will have to ask themselves that question.

Q: How different does the offense look in three weeks of gameplay compared to how they looked in training camp? Has Nick Caley ever had freedom coming here as the OC or has he been treated with restrictions, trust maybe? –Joseph

JMA: I thought that they had made strides in training camp. And we saw that Week 1 when they played the Bills and scored 31 points. I’ll reserve judgement for when Collins is back before making any determinations about the Texans’ offense as a hole.

Without Collins, they’ve been terrible. But when they had Collins, they were really good. So I’m unable to make an accurate comparison right now.

As far as the restrictions, Caley was limited in terms of the personnel he had. For instance, he wanted to run some version of the Rams’ offense when he arrived, but quickly realized he didn’t have the personnel with his players and coaches to do so. Like, for instance, line coach Cole Popovich was more used to what was run with the Patriots.

So Caley had to pivot. One other area where there may be restrictions is the style of play Ryans wanted to run.

I got the sense talking with people that the Texans wanted to be a team that ran the ball a ton, didn’t turn it over and let its defense win games.

But this is Caley’s offense, and he runs it as he sees fit under the direction of the head coach.

Texans Insider with Jonathan M. Alexander

Q: Was Nick Caley a Caserio hire? Would the Texans move on from both Caley and Caserio if they fall to 0-4?–dlonra10

JMA:Caserio had significant influence on the hire. Caseiro and Caley knew each other from their days with the New England Patriots. Caley was highly recommended by Caserio and others.

But in the end, it’s Ryans’ decision to make, and he ultimately decided to hire Caley.

Would both be fired after an 0-4 start? No. I referenced this in my earlier answer. That just wouldn’t make sense. At that point, you’re just punting on the season with 13 games to go.

There’s no one good you could hire midseason to implement a new offense and turn things around. And there are few people in the building that could take over and run Caley’s offense.

Quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski is one of them. But he came here because of Caley.

Q: Before the season, did you have the Texans at 0-3 on your bingo card? And why for a second straight year?

–Ed Helinski

JMA: I did not. I had them at 2-1 at this point. They’ve struggled because of injuries, and a poor offensive line.

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This article originally published at Houston Texans mailbag: Is anyone on the hot seat? Is there hope left for a turnaround?.

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