Houston Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley is in his first year with the team after serving as the passing game coordinator/tight ends coach with the Los Angeles Rams the last two seasons. In the first games of the season, the Texans offense has struggled to score points, and they are 0-3 for that very reason.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud has struggled, and the offensive line has also not played well. Houston is looking to avoid an 0-4 start. They will face the Tennessee Titans this weekend. The offense has to get it going sooner rather than later.
Houston Texans Offensive Coordinator Nick Caley Adjusting Into his New Role
Mike Sando of the Athletic has analyzed why six teams are off to an 0-3 start this season in the NFL. He no doubt pointed toward the offense as to why the Texans are in this spot. Sando said,
"The Texans are the only team that won a playoff game last season to start 0-3 this season. Ownership talked in the offseason about taking the next step, but the moves Houston made were not quick fixes. Most of them were long-term speculative bets.
Was there a disconnect somewhere?
New offensive coordinator Nick Caley had never been an NFL play caller, so it was realistic to expect a break-in period. Trading left tackle Laremy Tunsil and turning over four-fifths of the starting offensive line meant the new group would need in-game reps to grow together. Changes at receiver were applauded, but it was realistic to think Iowa State rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel might need time to develop.
Caley and this team need to figure out what their identity is. What has secretly hurt this offense this season is that running back Joe Mixon is injured and has not played yet. If he was available this offense could be different and have an identity.
They are ranked 29th in the NFL in yards per game at 267.3. They are averaging 172.3 passing yards per game which is ranked 25th in the NFL. Houston is averaging 95.0 yards per game on the ground. It is not great, but the ground game has been better than the passing game.
If they can figure out the issues through the air, the Texans can finally start winning games. The defense is not the problem through the first three weeks. This team can't ask the defense to do everything on a week-to-week basis. The offense needs to finally get over 20 points in order for this team to get into the win column. If Caley does not fix the play calling soon, then problems will continue to stay.
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