Houston Texans fans are balancing the excitement and concern scale heading into the 2025 season. On one hand, the franchise quarterback is secured on the roster and the defense is highly respected. On the other hand, CJ Stroud will play behind a revamped offensive line with a first-time playcaller at offensive coordinator.
While fans might acknowledge some concern, head coach DeMeco Ryans appears confident his offense will get back on track in 2025 with Nick Caley manning the controls of the offense.
“The energy is on 100 every single day,” Ryans said of his brand new offensive coordinator at rookie minicamp. “So, I love the positive energy that he brings, the smile, the joy that he brings to work every day. And that rubs off on the players. So, he’s done a fantastic job of that. It’s been great working with him. I know he’s going to do a really great job of leading that side of the ball.”
It’s no surprise that a young offensive coordinator from the Sean McVay tree would bring the energy to practice. But Caley’s position hinges on operating a successful offense, preferably one that doesn’t allow its star quarterback to be sacked 52 times in a single season.
A revamped offensive line and a fresh scheme hope to be the solution to that issue. More importantly, however, Stroud will have more command at the line of scrimmage, something that appeared to be lacking in his sophomore season.
“I will be able to put my swag on it, have fun with it,” Stroud said. “He is all about me taking full ownership, running the show, and that’s what I want. I’m gonna get what I want and it’s really been really cool just to see that he’s bought into me and he doesn’t really know me well yet. He talked about having blind trust and I have a lot of trust in him already. Just how he talks and how he presents in the room is really cool to see.”
Texans Betting on Talent, Trust, and a Smarter Scheme
Trusting your quarterback goes a long way in running a successful offense. It also puts some of the pressure back on the quarterback to make the proper reads pre- and post-snap. That might ease up some of the pressure from Caley himself, so long as his week-to-week game plans are on point.
Caley has been on an interesting journey to becoming an offensive coordinator in the NFL, a story well displayed by KPRC 2 Houston Texans reporter Aaron Wilson. Caley's connections to brilliant football minds such as McVay and Bill Belichick inspire the confidence that he can be malleable in his preparations from one week to the next.
Caley said at minicamps that the game plans will be tailored to match the strengths of his offense against the weaknesses of the opposing defense, and if that means running the ball 45 times, so be it.
“We’re going to ask our guys to do what they do well”, Caley said. “But it’s going to be based on what we do to help us win. At the end of the day, we want to win, and that’s the priority for us.”
Ultimately, the Texans' offense has the balance and talent to commit to a fluid style of offense that adapts on the fly. Houston’s situation boils down to trust, the same way Ryans trusts his new coordinator, the way Caley trusts Stroud with expanded responsibilities, and the way Stroud trusts his 10 men to execute a play.
