31-year old Kris Brown had a huge year kicking for the Texans in 2007 and they need him to follow it up strongly.  Brown kicked in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he made 25 of 29 field goals (86.2%).  Brown also made all 40 of his extra point attempts last year.  The Texans need another huge season like that out of Brown if the offense is going to excel as they can’t afford to leave points on the field.  Brown has now played in 144 games in his NFL career and he has made 202 of 261 field goals (77.4%).  He also has made 267 of 273 extra points (97.8%) in his NFL career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B-

Owen Daniels is a big guy at 6′3″, 247 pounds and he is also fast for his size causing mis-matches for the opposing defenses.  Look for Matt Schaub and Sage Rosenfels to look for him more in the passing game this season.  Daniels played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he caught 63 passes for 768 yards (12.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Look for Daniels to catch 10-15 more passes this season for the Texans.  Daniels has now played in 30 games for the Texans and he has caught 97 passes for 1,120 yards (11.5 avg) with 8 TD grabs.

35-year old Mark Bruener’s game is blocking.  The 6′4″, 260 pound Bruener played in 14 games and he didn’t catch a pass last season but he still helps the Texans’ offense, especially the running game.  Bruener has now played in 186 games in his NFL career and he has caught 152 passes for 1,333 yards (8.8 avg) with 18 TD grabs.

Joel Dreessen is a weapon for the Texans near the goal line.  He is a big target at 6′4″, 260 pounds which gives him an edge near the end zone.  Dreessen played in 13 games for the Texans last season and he caught 4 passes for 55 yards (13.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Don’t expect big numbers out of Dreessen but he might make a couple of big plays for them in the passing game.  Dreessen has now played in 27 games in his NFL career and he has caught 9 passes for 96 yards (10.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Texans appear to have a pretty decent receiving corps heading into the 2008 season but everything revolves around #1 WR Andre’ Johnson.  Johnson is a big guy at 6′3″, 219 pounds and he has the speed to get deep making him very dangerous any time the Texans throw the ball his way.  Johnson played in 9 games for the Texans last season and he caught 60 passes for 851 yards (14.2 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  The Texans have to hope that Johnson stays healthy because he’s by far the best receiver on the football team.  Johnson has now played in 70 games for the Texans and he has caught 371 passes for 4,804 yards (12.9 avg) with 25 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 18 times for 26 yards (1.4 ypc) in his career.

26-year old Kevin Walter finally found himself last season.  He has always had good hands but he added toughness to his game using his size (6′3″, 214 pounds) to his advantage.  Walter really stepped up his game after Johnson got hurt which really made the Texans’ coaching staff and brass happy.  Walter played in 16 games for the Texans last season and he caught 65 passes for 800 yards (12.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 30 yards (6.0 ypc) last season.  Look for Walter to be a solid #2 receiver for the Texans again in 2008.  Walter has now played in 75 games in his NFL career and he has caught 112 passes for 1,256 yards (11.2 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Walter has also carried the ball 6 times for 33 yards (5.5 ypc) in his career.

Andre’ Davis will be the #3 receiver for the Texans this season and he really stepped up his game after Johnson’s injury.  He is very fast and can beat cornerbacks in a race down the field.  Davis played in 14 games for the Texans last season and he caught 33 passes for 583 yards (17.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Look for Davis to have better numbers in 2008 for the Texans than he had in 2007.  Davis has now played in 78 games in his NFL career and he has caught 137 passes for 2,198 yards (16.0 avg) with 17 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 9 times for 32 yards (3.6 ypc) in his career.

Jacoby Jones is the fastest receiver on the Texans’ but he’s very raw.  He will likely be the #4 receiver on the Texans as long as he can beat out David Anderson and Tim Carter for the job.  Jones played in 14 games as a rookie for the Texans last season and he caught 15 passes for 149 yards (9.9 avg) without a TD reception.  He also carried the ball 3 times for -1 yard (0.3 ypc).

David Anderson will be in a battle for a roster spot with Tim Carter so he better come to training camp ready to go.  Anderson played in 8 games for the Texans last season and he caught 12 passes for 131 yards (10.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 17 games in his NFL career and he has caught 13 passes for 158 yards (12.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Don’t expect much out of him this season.

28-year old veteran Tim Carter will battle for a roster spot this season.  He will likely have to help out on special teams to make the Texans’ roster as he has never quite lived up to his potential.  Carter played in all 16 games for the Browns last season and he caught 8 passes for 117 yards (14.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Carter is fast but he’s pretty soft and he doesn’t have the courage to go over the middle for a pass.  Carter has now played in 69 games in his NFL career and he has caught 80 passes for 1,084 yards (13.6 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He also has carried the football 11 times for 97 yards (8.8 ypc) in his NFL career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

Vonta Leach and Jameel Cook have important roles with the Texans as they are both decent blockers and good receivers out of the backfield.  Leach is a big guy at 6′0″, 250 pounds and he likes to hit people.  Leach played in 16 games (12 starts) for the Texans last year and he carried the ball 2 times for 2 yards (1.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 25 passes for 108 yards (4.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Look for Leach to play a little bit more than Cook this season but they will split time to keep them both fresh.  Leach has now played in 50 games (22 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 2 times for 2 yards (1.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also has caught 36 passes for 188 yards (5.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.

Jameel Cook is a tad smaller than Leach at 5′10″, 237 pounds but he’s still effective at his job.  Cook played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Texans last season and he carried the ball 8 times for 24 yards (3.0 ypc).  He also caught 8 passes for 40 yards (5.0 avg) last season.  Cook has now played in 99 games (23 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 14 times for 43 yards (3.1 ypc).  He also has caught 81 passes for 486 yards (6.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.  He will do a good job for the Texans in 2008.

Converted linebacker Jon Abbate is the #3 fullback on the roster.  He’s got decent size at 5′11″, 245 pounds but he’ll likely have to make the team playing special teams as he’s well behind Leach and Cook.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B

The Texans appear to have a lot of depth at running back but they don’t appear to have a running back that can handle a full workload in 2008.  It would appear that Ahman Green would get the first chance to start for the Texans in 2008 but he didn’t appear to have much left in the tank last season before he was injured.  Green played in 6 games (5 starts) for the Texans last season and he carried the ball 70 times for 260 yards (3.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 14 passes for 123 yards (8.8 avg) last year.  Green might not have much tread left on his tires but he has had a very productive career.  Green has now played in 132 games (96 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 1,941 times for 8,751 yards (4.5 ypc) with 56 TD runs.  He has also caught 364 passes for 2,833 yards (7.8 avg) with 14 TD grabs.

Chris Brown was signed in the off season as a free agent to compete with Green for the starting job at RB.  He also has huge issues with durability as he likes to run upright leaving himself open to the big hit.  That’s not to say that he’s not a talented back because he is, I just doubt he can play a whole 16 game schedule without going down to injury at some point.  Brown played in 12 games (1 start) last season for the Titans and he carried the ball 102 times for 462 yards (4.5 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 19 passes for 128 yards (6.7 avg).  Look for Brown to post solid season totals in 2008 as long as he can stay in one piece.  Brown has now played in 54 games (29 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 643 times for 2,757 yards (4.3 ypc) with 16 TD runs.  He has also caught 74 passes for 667 yards (9.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

Darius Walker was a undrafted rookie last season who was a pleasant surprise late in the season for the Texans.  His style appears to fit the offense well and he should push Green and Brown for playing time.  Walker played in 4 games (2 starts) for the Texans last season as a rookie and he carried the ball 58 times for 264 yards (4.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 13 passes for 81 yards (6.2 avg).  Look for Walker to improve on those numbers in 2008 with Green and Brown so prone to injury ahead of him on the depth chart.

Chris Taylor did not play last season due to injury but he has flashed potential in limited playing time in the past for the Texans.  He has played in 4 games (0 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 28 times for 123 yards (4.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 3 passes for 40 yards (13.3 avg).  He has the potential to possibly play a bigger role than anyone expects this season for the Texans as long as he can stay healthy.

Rookie Steve Slaton might be on the small side but that didn’t stop him at West Virginia.  The rookie averaged 1,347.3 yards rushing and 16.7 rushing TDs in his 3 years at West Virginia.  He also averaged 21.7 receptions, 268.3 receiving yards and 1.7 TDs receiving per season.  Slaton is a tough guy and if he can take the pounding he could be a nice surprise for the Texans’ offense in 2008.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D+