The Houston Texans’ 2022-23 NFL campaign went about as well as could be expected.
Heading into the year, the team had a middling defense and terrible offense. That proved to be a recipe for inevitable failure, leading to the franchise getting the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft.
With that top-tier position Houston selected C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State to be their new franchise quarterback. How he will ultimately fare remains to be seen, particularly given the weak receiving group that the Texans have organized around him.
That said, Stroud isn’t the team’s only star at the moment. In recent days, a Texans cheerleader’s wild photos have caused something of a stir.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
The dancer in question, Rachel, has nearly 13,000 followers across social media and will likely see that number grow significantly as the NFL season approaches.
It goes without saying, Rachel isn’t the only cheerleader to go viral in this fashion over the past few weeks. A Minnesota Vikings cheerleader also set the internet ablaze this week for her provocative photos, as did a Detroit Lions cheerleader.
That aside, it will be really interesting to see how the Texans fare in 2023-24. This past offseason DeMeco Ryans was hired to be the franchise’s third head coach in as many years.
Obviously his success spearheading the San Francisco 49ers’ defense is what got him this job, but it will be interesting to see how his limited experience will align with a young quarterback that will need a lot of mentoring in Stroud.
Last season the Texans finished at the bottom of the league in scoring. If Stroud can be even mildly better than Davis Mills, which seems like a fair expectation for a top-two draft pick, Houston should improve at least a little in that regard.
The big question is going to be Ryans’ immediate impact on the defense. The Texans used their No. 3 overall pick on Will Anderson Jr. out of Alabama. Ryans has already revealed that he will shift him to a 4-3 end after he primarily played as a 3-4 edge during his Alabama run. How that will unfold remains to be seen.
Defensive back Jimmie Ward was named captain by Ryans this offseason, so presumably he will help guide the way on that side of the ball.
Still, unless Anderson Jr. proves to be a huge star from the jump, it’s hard to see how Houston’s defense does too much of note.
Livvy Dunne’s photos in just a NASCAR jacket and nothing else go viral. https://t.co/AwK1ITZOKA
— Game 7 (@game7__) June 9, 2023
All that being said, given that the Texans are coming off their third consecutive year of four or fewer victories, expectations aren’t exactly sky-high heading into the 2023-24 season.
Even a mild improvement and glimmer of hope for the future will suffice.
Will Ryans ultimately be able to right the ship this year? Time will tell, but either way, the Texans’ cheerleaders will be there to pick up the slack no matter what.
Related: Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham’s Wife Shares Wild Vacation Photos
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
