Brock Osweiler, Lamar Miller make Texans dangerous in AFC South
By Luke Sims
Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller are joining the Houston Texans and that will have a serious impact on how the AFC South will play in the coming years.
The Houston Texans managed to win the AFC South in 2015 without a highly competent quarterback, relying on Brian Hoyer to do just enough as a serviceable starter.
What’s even more impressive is that the Texans managed to win the AFC South without stud running back Arian Foster as well.
Getting to the postseason on the strength of their defense alone, the Texans managed to just barely post a 9-7 record en route to a playoff blowout at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans were already a good team, as loathe as I am to admit it, but with a competent quarterback and a running back to replace Foster, they’re downright dangerous.
So, when the Texans announced they were signing quarterback Brock Osweiler away from the Denver Broncos and running back Lamar Miller away from the Miami Dolphins, I have gotten more than a little bit nervous. Osweiler only has a handful of starts to his name, but he looks every bit the starter at the NFL level. Miller has proven to be incredibly dangerous during his time with Miami as well.
When paired together and keeping in mind the presence of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and that talented defense, the Houston Texans just became a whole lot more dangerous. The AFC South only fielded one winning team in 2015 and now that one team may be well poised to begin a run of AFC South victories.
Just yesterday, Michael Silver posted a video wondering if the Jags offense can be enough to make the difference in the AFC South and win them the division. The competition just became a whole lot stiffer with the addition of Brock Osweiler and Lamar Miller. The Jags will not only have to penetrate the Texans defense, but also outscore the offense if they hope to have a chance in their two meetings each year against the Texans.
Whether the Osweiler and Miller signings actually turn out to be as valuable as they look at first or not, they add another variable to the AFC South teams that will be tough to ignore. The Texans will no longer be a pushover offense with a defense that barely holds them up. There’s talent at two key positions now and that changes everything.