Houston Texans · Franchise era 3 of 5
A brilliant rise unravels: the Houston Texans story
Franchise era
2017—2020
A brilliant rise unravels
Houston Texans
The story in one sentence
Houston found dynamic quarterback play and won two more divisions before injuries, damaging personnel decisions and off-field crisis ended the core.
Quarterback promise meets organizational collapse
Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins and J.J. Watt gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for the full reset.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2017
What came before
Wade Phillips's defense and Foster's zone running produced consecutive division titles, while Watt became the era's defining defensive player.
2019-01-05
Wild Card: Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans
August 31, 2019
The Laremy Tunsil trade tree that accelerated two rebuilds
The Texans needed immediate protection for Deshaun Watson. The Dolphins accepted a teardown package and repeatedly moved the premium selections.
15Pick-tree acceleratorAugust 31, 2019HOU⇄MIATunsil to HoustonHouston acquired Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills and two later picks for two firsts, a second, two players and extraordinary leverage for Miami.9 assets · 3 outcomes＋
The original receipt
Houston Texans received
- • Laremy Tunsil
- • Kenny Stills
- • 2020 fourth
- • 2021 sixth
Miami Dolphins received
- • Johnson Bademosi
- • Julien Davenport
- • 2020 first · No. 26
- • 2021 first · No. 3
- • 2021 second · No. 36
Tunsil became Houston's long-term Pro Bowl tackle, while Miami transformed the draft capital into branches that included Jaylen Waddle, Jevon Holland and further first-round control.
Open full trade tree →2020-01-04
Wild Card: Buffalo Bills vs Houston Texans
2020-01-12
Divisional Round: Houston Texans vs Kansas City Chiefs
After 2020
What came next
The Texans accepted a ground-up rebuild, converted veteran value into draft capital and searched for the leadership structure to use it.
The core