HOUSTON -- At the NFL combine last week, Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio acknowledged the defending AFC South champs have some challenges looming.
Outside of a league-leading 29 free agents, the Texans' have the fourth-toughest schedule based on their 2023 opponents' winning percentage, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Texans' success last season resulted in having to play five of the seven other division champions.
The new league year begins March 13, and Caserio, along with second-year coach DeMeco Ryans, aims to improve the roster through free agency and the draft to be able to continue to compete. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents at noon ET on Monday and reach verbal agreements ahead of the official start two days later.
"For me, it's a clean slate. We start over in 2024," Ryans said. "Now, who are we going to be? We have a lot of great matchups versus a lot of great teams this year. ... I'm excited about it. You want to play against the top competition to see where you stack up, and I'm excited to see our team develop and grow throughout the year and see where we end up."
The Texans are slated to play three of the final four teams left standing last season -- the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions.
Ryans also expects fierce competition within the AFC South, as the race came down to the final week with three teams in play.
"Our division is definitely really good," Ryans said. "When you think about the young quarterbacks in our division with the Colts, the Jags, the Titans, and us, we all have really young quarterbacks who all have bright futures. Four really good teams in our division. It's going to be a battle each and every week that we play each other."
Before the new league year got underway, the Texans agreed to a new contract Tuesday that will keep starting tight end Dalton Schultz, who was third on the team in receiving yards (635) and touchdowns (five) in his debut season with the team last season, for three years.
With the salary cap jumping from $224.8 million to $255.4 million in 2024, the Texans came into the week with $69.6 million in cap space, the sixth most according to Roster Management System.
With tight end addressed, the Texans still have several pending free agents to consider, including last season's leaders in rushing, sacks and tackles.
Their biggest free agent is defensive end Jonathan Greenard, who finished with 12.5 sacks (10th in the NFL) and said he would love to return after their playoff loss to the Ravens.
Caserio was complimentary of Greenard -- who is ranked No. 12 in ESPN's top 100 free agency rankings -- but was noncommittal about re-signing him.
"[Greenard] had as good of a year as he's had since he's been in the league," Caserio said. "I think the big thing with J.G. is just being available. He had a lot of disruptive plays and took advantage of the opportunities. He's a good young player. So we'll work through the process with these players."
The Texans didn't franchise tag Greenard -- which would have cost $21.3 million. So, if they don't strike a deal before the beginning of free agency, they'll have competition -- and it could be pricey.
Houston would like to keep linebacker Blake Cashman, who led the team in tackles (106) last season, but his cost could be more than what the Texans are willing to spend -- especially if no deal is in place before the negotiating period opens. Houston could focus on Ravens free agent linebacker Patrick Queen, who played with Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. at LSU. Queen was second-team All-Pro last season, and there's some interest between the two parties, per a source. Cashman comes in at No. 59, while Queen ranks No. 25.
Running back Devin Singletary was publicly praised by Caserio and Ryans at the combine. Ryans revealed Singletary's return is on his wish list after the running back led the team in rushing (898 yards) and rushing touchdowns (four). Singletary started the season behind Dameon Pierce on the depth chart before overtaking him as the starter.
"Devin is a great guy. We'll see what happens in free agency, but we'd love to have Devin back just because of what he brought to our team," Ryans said. "He was definitely a bright spot for us in that running back room."
If they aren't able to retain some of the players that helped them win their first playoff game since 2019, they have plenty of cap to figure out alternatives, but they know with a tougher schedule and a target on their back that it won't be easy and nothing will be given to them.
But finding the right guys that fit their culture is something that Ryans is eager for in Year 2 with the franchise. It also might not hurt that his first year coincided with C.J. Stroud having one of the greatest rookie seasons ever for a quarterback.
"I'm excited to, first of all, build our team, again, the proper way -- of guys who are just looking to compete, guys who have that relentless mindset, guys who want to go out and play for each other, guys who want to hunt, guys who want to play with relentless effort and finish," Ryans said. "That's what I'm looking to build as we start this offseason."