AFC South 2023 GM Power Rankings: Where do Jacksonville Jaguars and Trent Baalke land?

No. 2 AFC South 2023 GM Power Ranking: Nick Caserio, Houston Texans

The Houston Texans were a playoff team in the mid-2010s but they became a mess when they granted general manager powers and full personnel control to then-head coach Bill O’Brien. When the Texans cut ties with O’Brien, they hired Nick Caserio at vice president of player personnel Jack Easterby’s suggestion.

Easterby had a huge say in personnel decisions but he was kicked to the curb after the 2021 season, which allowed Caserio to run the team’s front office without interference. While Houston finished the 2022 season with a losing record, they acquired several key contributors in last year’s draft. Safety Jalen Pitre and running back Dameon Pierce went on to fill important roles while Kenyon Green became a mainstay of the offensive line.

All things considered, Caserio was dealt a bad hand. He took over a roster filled with expensive contracts and devoid of draft picks. However, he got a pretty good haul in exchange for quarterback Deshaun Watson last offseason and has slowly but steadily gotten the Texans back on track.

Next on Caserio’s to-do list is coming out of this year’s draft with another solid batch of playmakers and finding a franchise quarterback. Last year, the Texans gave Davis Mills a shot to prove he was the long-term answer at the position but came crashing down. Working in Caserio’s favor this offseason is that Houston will have two first-round picks (their own and the second of three they got in the Watson trade) and nearly $40 million cap space.