January 23, 2026 • 11 mins
Thursday on The A-Team, Adam Wexler and Adam Clanton are joined by Houston Chronicle Texans reporter Jonathan Alexander to examine what lies ahead for Houston following its disappointing end to the season.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Four o'clock hour. Adam Wexler, Adam clant here with you,
and we heard from him earlier because he was pressing
Nick Cassario on a question about whether or not personnel
moves of greater nature could have been made during the
off season to assist the offense and having a little
bit better season this year. Played that audio for you earlier.
Now we have him right here in the flesh on
(00:21):
the phone. Jonathan al m Alexander from the Houston Chronicle,
the Texans beat writer for the Chronicle for the last
several seasons on the road with the Texans through these
two cold weather, offensive, unhappy performances, but one of them
was a win. And Jonathan, we certainly appreciate you not
only your time today, but also the work you put
out and your time with us throughout the last couple
(00:42):
of seasons. We were both there yesterday front row participants.
We were at Nick Cassario's press conference, and obviously the
topic that seemed at the front of at least our
minds and I think fans minds six questions worth of interest.
Curious if you think we actually got an answer about
the future of Joe Mixon and that he's already had
(01:02):
his last carry for the Texans, not explicitly said by
any means by Nick, but curious on your opinion of that.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yeah, I mean, for me, I think you still kind
of being kind of coy. They still seem to not
know what the future holds for Joe Mixon, just given
the nature of the medical condition that he was dealing with.
And you know, the Textans are typically organization under Cassio
that likes to give away too much. So you know,
(01:33):
I think we probably won't know Joe mixing future with
the Texans and for another couple of months, probably took it,
probably gets closer to free agency, and when the Texans
feel like they have to make a decision.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
They don't have to make a decision to say goodbye
to c J. Stroud anytime soon. Fourth year of his
contract is next year, if if your option is a possibility,
there's even franchise tags after that. Should neither of these
two upcoming off seasons net him a long term contract extension?
Is it absolutely preposterous to envision an offseason here in
the next couple of months where they trade c J.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Stroud. I don't think so. You know, I've seen that
floted around quite a bit, but you know, to me,
that just doesn't make any sense. I think you know CJ.
Strod had a terrible playoff game, don't get me wrong,
four interceptions, but it was an indicative of his entire
twenty twenty five season where he showed improvement. And you know,
(02:26):
they know what he's capable of when he's playing at
his best, when he when he is protected, and they've
just got to take responsibility and figure out our ways
to put him in a good position to succeed. So
you know, I don't envision them trading him. I don't.
I don't think that there are a lot of options
for them to have a replacement. So I think we'll
(02:49):
see see Dey star out here and it takes Yon
four next year.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I need to add one more follow up, if you'll
allow me, Jonathan, if we had had a live broadcast
right before kickoff one fifty nine this past and I
asked you the very same question, you would have hung
up on us because it's so preposterous, like why am
I talking to these idiots?
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Right?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah, absolutely? Minus last game, you would have said that CJ.
Shot was better in twenty twenty five than he was
in twenty twenty four, So do you negate what he
did in twenty twenty five altogether? Now you don't now
playoff games are important, Don't get me wrong. This will
factor into the decision and how much Texans decide to
(03:29):
offer him. If they do decide to make an extension,
this could This could potentially change whether they would have
made an offer versus just to shide and to extend
the fifth year option. But the Texans, you know, are
not going to allow just this one game to dictate
how they feel about their quarterbacks.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Do you go and draft offensive linemen and sign a
stud running back? Or do you go and sign an
offensive line's available and draft a stud running back?
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I mean, I think whichever option makes the most sense.
I think both of those positions or positions that they
have to take care of and if they want to
be successful, you have to add playmakers to this team.
And then number one, the most important thing for a
quarterback to be successful is for you to protect him.
And guard has been a revolving door for the Texans
(04:26):
for the past two years, and even this year, left
guard they didn't figure out left guard until midway through
the season. Lake and Thompson's no longer on the team.
Just Scruggs did not step up. They have to move
tightestower Mike right tackle to left guard, so they have
to figure out their two guard situations. Ed Ingram is
also a free agent. There's no guarantee that he's going
to be back, so how they address it, it just
(04:49):
depends on who you love better and whether it's in
the draft or free agency.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
And the other thing would be like, how much do
you assess at this point? You know, the playoff c
A Stroud too, you know, directly corresponds to the quality
of the offensive line, because there was once upon a
time where Wow, he's doing this in spite of subpar
offensive line play. And then he's like, you know, slowly
but surely regressed, And so now I'm like, I don't
(05:15):
even know. I don't know what to think going into
twenty twenty six because I don't know what they're gonna do,
and I don't know if it's even gonna matter, because
I do think part of his regression has been he's
gotten a little shaky in the pocket because he hasn't
had protection over the years. But yet Sunday happens and
it looks more like it was his fault.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, you know, I think it's a little bit of both.
I mean, you look at a few of those turnovers,
particularly the Woody Marks won the pick six that strod
through the They were the direct result of the offensive
line getting beat at the line of scrimmick. So the
offensive line did call some of the turnovers. But I
do agree in the sense that you know, when the pressure,
when there's an intense amount of pressure on c. A. Stroud,
(05:58):
he tends to struggle. Teams have seem to figure out
that that is his weakness, and the Texans haven't yet
quite adjusted to that. He occuplates a lot better when
he doesn't have protection, and that's like most quarterbacks, but
he definitely they have to figure that out. They have
to either have to build in answers or give him
more weapons or protection to compensate for that weakness that
(06:20):
he has.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Song with Jonathan Alexander, the Houston Chronicle beat writer for
the Houston Texans change in the offseason on the offensive side.
From a coaching perspective, what's happened a bunch here for
the Texans last year. Obviously, a new OC and a
new offensive line coach promoting from within. Do you anticipate
and he changes to the offensive coaching staff? Gerrod Johnson
has gotten a request for an OC interview with the Dolphins.
(06:44):
Not new for him, as that happened last offseason as well.
He's been here throughout CJ's development here would you expect
not specific to him, but also about him? Do you
think there will be offensive coaching changes this offseason?
Speaker 2 (06:57):
He absolutely. I just don't think you can run him
back with the same offensive staff given that there weren't
many There weren't many, There weren't many improvements made on
the offensive side of the ball. Something has to give
because they ran it back with the same offensive staff
last year, and even though there were certain improvements, particularly
(07:19):
in turnovers, the stats didn't take a huge jump in
total yards and points per game. So I think something
has to give and something has to change, and there's
a need for a new fresh ideas in perspectives for detection.
So yeah, I think there has to be a change.
Now where that change is I actually don't know, but
(07:40):
something had to happened.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
And similarly, do you think the makeup of their quarterback
room also might change a little bit? The veteran in
the room is obviously Davis Mills, and as a backup quarterback,
and including his on field performance, that was perfectly fine.
They rostered a third quarterback the entire season, and Graham Mertz,
who may or may not have even been healthy enough
to go out there at the beginning of the season,
probably was at the end. But I don't disaster if
(08:01):
that's happening. Do you think there's a need for a
different third quarterback next year? Maybe even if it isn't
a developmental.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Player, right, there could be a need, but I don't
think that'll happened, given that they made the investment in
Graham Mertz, already a six round pick, and they rostered
him the entire year. Like you said, they gave Davis
Mills an extension. Now they could put a veteran on
the practice squad next year, That could be a possibility,
(08:30):
but as far as Grammertz and Davis Mills goes, you know,
I anticipate those guys continuing to be on the roster
in some form of fashion.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
We've hit you with all of these questions, Johnathan, I'm
curious if you you'll think about some of the storylines
you'll need to follow and have a handle on. What
do you think sits in front of this team? Is
maybe the top or top couple of things that they
have to consider as the offseason begins.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah, you know, I just think the biggest thing for me,
like we mentioned a little bit earlier, is you know,
they have to figure out how to help c. J.
Shild elevate his game. You know, they're in the process
of investing a lot more into him. They'll likely pick
up that fifth year option just given the history of
(09:18):
of what teams have done in the past, and he's
their number one investment in the potential face of this franchise.
And I know Nick Caserio said it's not one player,
and it's not one player, but there are tiers to
the level of importance of positions in the NFL, and
(09:40):
quarterback is the number one and it's hard to come
across the quarterback, as Nick Caserio learned, And given the
fact that they have somebody who has performed at the
top level in their building, they have to figure out
how they can get him back to that level or
(10:01):
a level that will help them win a Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
So is Joe Mixon's injury the weirdest thing you've ever covered, Yes.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Because because of so little details about it and the
way Nick Casario talked about it yesterday being that it
was something that he's never seen before. I've never heard
of someone referred.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
To something like that, and for him not to play
an entire season and maybe not even next year just
kind of underscores how serious the issue this is for them,
especially when it wasn't anything he was doing that it
was irristonsible, very.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Weird, unique as the word that Nick U's situation. To
be sure, plenty of other things to discuss. I'm sure
we'll need to beckon you again this off season. Really
appreciate you joining us throughout the year obviously, as I
mentioned before, great stuff as their beat writer, contributing and
coming with some pretty entertaining stories throughout the season, including
several on CJ. Stroud. So we appreciate what you're doing
(11:08):
for the peeps here that love their Texans and joining
us here.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Today absolutely than having you got it.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Jonathan m Alexander, beat writer for the Houston Texans. There
for the Houston Chronicle as the off season is now
into its fourth day.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
Brutal, sad, brutal, brutal stuff. We'll continue. We're getting ready
for Rockets basketball coming up at the top of the hour,
but plenty of meat left on the bone before we
get there. Texans wise and other that's coming up straight
ahead
Four o'clock hour. Adam Wexler, Adam clant here with you,
and we heard from him earlier because he was pressing
Nick Cassario on a question about whether or not personnel
moves of greater nature could have been made during the
off season to assist the offense and having a little
bit better season this year. Played that audio for you earlier.
Now we have him right here in the flesh on
(00:21):
the phone. Jonathan al m Alexander from the Houston Chronicle,
the Texans beat writer for the Chronicle for the last
several seasons on the road with the Texans through these
two cold weather, offensive, unhappy performances, but one of them
was a win. And Jonathan, we certainly appreciate you not
only your time today, but also the work you put
out and your time with us throughout the last couple
(00:42):
of seasons. We were both there yesterday front row participants.
We were at Nick Cassario's press conference, and obviously the
topic that seemed at the front of at least our
minds and I think fans minds six questions worth of interest.
Curious if you think we actually got an answer about
the future of Joe Mixon and that he's already had
(01:02):
his last carry for the Texans, not explicitly said by
any means by Nick, but curious on your opinion of that.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yeah, I mean, for me, I think you still kind
of being kind of coy. They still seem to not
know what the future holds for Joe Mixon, just given
the nature of the medical condition that he was dealing with.
And you know, the Textans are typically organization under Cassio
that likes to give away too much. So you know,
(01:33):
I think we probably won't know Joe mixing future with
the Texans and for another couple of months, probably took it,
probably gets closer to free agency, and when the Texans
feel like they have to make a decision.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
They don't have to make a decision to say goodbye
to c J. Stroud anytime soon. Fourth year of his
contract is next year, if if your option is a possibility,
there's even franchise tags after that. Should neither of these
two upcoming off seasons net him a long term contract extension?
Is it absolutely preposterous to envision an offseason here in
the next couple of months where they trade c J.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Stroud. I don't think so. You know, I've seen that
floted around quite a bit, but you know, to me,
that just doesn't make any sense. I think you know CJ.
Strod had a terrible playoff game, don't get me wrong,
four interceptions, but it was an indicative of his entire
twenty twenty five season where he showed improvement. And you know,
(02:26):
they know what he's capable of when he's playing at
his best, when he when he is protected, and they've
just got to take responsibility and figure out our ways
to put him in a good position to succeed. So
you know, I don't envision them trading him. I don't.
I don't think that there are a lot of options
for them to have a replacement. So I think we'll
(02:49):
see see Dey star out here and it takes Yon
four next year.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I need to add one more follow up, if you'll
allow me, Jonathan, if we had had a live broadcast
right before kickoff one fifty nine this past and I
asked you the very same question, you would have hung
up on us because it's so preposterous, like why am
I talking to these idiots?
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Right?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah, absolutely? Minus last game, you would have said that CJ.
Shot was better in twenty twenty five than he was
in twenty twenty four, So do you negate what he
did in twenty twenty five altogether? Now you don't now
playoff games are important, Don't get me wrong. This will
factor into the decision and how much Texans decide to
(03:29):
offer him. If they do decide to make an extension,
this could This could potentially change whether they would have
made an offer versus just to shide and to extend
the fifth year option. But the Texans, you know, are
not going to allow just this one game to dictate
how they feel about their quarterbacks.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Do you go and draft offensive linemen and sign a
stud running back? Or do you go and sign an
offensive line's available and draft a stud running back?
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I mean, I think whichever option makes the most sense.
I think both of those positions or positions that they
have to take care of and if they want to
be successful, you have to add playmakers to this team.
And then number one, the most important thing for a
quarterback to be successful is for you to protect him.
And guard has been a revolving door for the Texans
(04:26):
for the past two years, and even this year, left
guard they didn't figure out left guard until midway through
the season. Lake and Thompson's no longer on the team.
Just Scruggs did not step up. They have to move
tightestower Mike right tackle to left guard, so they have
to figure out their two guard situations. Ed Ingram is
also a free agent. There's no guarantee that he's going
to be back, so how they address it, it just
(04:49):
depends on who you love better and whether it's in
the draft or free agency.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
And the other thing would be like, how much do
you assess at this point? You know, the playoff c
A Stroud too, you know, directly corresponds to the quality
of the offensive line, because there was once upon a
time where Wow, he's doing this in spite of subpar
offensive line play. And then he's like, you know, slowly
but surely regressed, And so now I'm like, I don't
(05:15):
even know. I don't know what to think going into
twenty twenty six because I don't know what they're gonna do,
and I don't know if it's even gonna matter, because
I do think part of his regression has been he's
gotten a little shaky in the pocket because he hasn't
had protection over the years. But yet Sunday happens and
it looks more like it was his fault.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, you know, I think it's a little bit of both.
I mean, you look at a few of those turnovers,
particularly the Woody Marks won the pick six that strod
through the They were the direct result of the offensive
line getting beat at the line of scrimmick. So the
offensive line did call some of the turnovers. But I
do agree in the sense that you know, when the pressure,
when there's an intense amount of pressure on c. A. Stroud,
(05:58):
he tends to struggle. Teams have seem to figure out
that that is his weakness, and the Texans haven't yet
quite adjusted to that. He occuplates a lot better when
he doesn't have protection, and that's like most quarterbacks, but
he definitely they have to figure that out. They have
to either have to build in answers or give him
more weapons or protection to compensate for that weakness that
(06:20):
he has.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Song with Jonathan Alexander, the Houston Chronicle beat writer for
the Houston Texans change in the offseason on the offensive side.
From a coaching perspective, what's happened a bunch here for
the Texans last year. Obviously, a new OC and a
new offensive line coach promoting from within. Do you anticipate
and he changes to the offensive coaching staff? Gerrod Johnson
has gotten a request for an OC interview with the Dolphins.
(06:44):
Not new for him, as that happened last offseason as well.
He's been here throughout CJ's development here would you expect
not specific to him, but also about him? Do you
think there will be offensive coaching changes this offseason?
Speaker 2 (06:57):
He absolutely. I just don't think you can run him
back with the same offensive staff given that there weren't
many There weren't many, There weren't many improvements made on
the offensive side of the ball. Something has to give
because they ran it back with the same offensive staff
last year, and even though there were certain improvements, particularly
(07:19):
in turnovers, the stats didn't take a huge jump in
total yards and points per game. So I think something
has to give and something has to change, and there's
a need for a new fresh ideas in perspectives for detection.
So yeah, I think there has to be a change.
Now where that change is I actually don't know, but
(07:40):
something had to happened.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
And similarly, do you think the makeup of their quarterback
room also might change a little bit? The veteran in
the room is obviously Davis Mills, and as a backup quarterback,
and including his on field performance, that was perfectly fine.
They rostered a third quarterback the entire season, and Graham Mertz,
who may or may not have even been healthy enough
to go out there at the beginning of the season,
probably was at the end. But I don't disaster if
(08:01):
that's happening. Do you think there's a need for a
different third quarterback next year? Maybe even if it isn't
a developmental.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Player, right, there could be a need, but I don't
think that'll happened, given that they made the investment in
Graham Mertz, already a six round pick, and they rostered
him the entire year. Like you said, they gave Davis
Mills an extension. Now they could put a veteran on
the practice squad next year, That could be a possibility,
(08:30):
but as far as Grammertz and Davis Mills goes, you know,
I anticipate those guys continuing to be on the roster
in some form of fashion.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
We've hit you with all of these questions, Johnathan, I'm
curious if you you'll think about some of the storylines
you'll need to follow and have a handle on. What
do you think sits in front of this team? Is
maybe the top or top couple of things that they
have to consider as the offseason begins.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah, you know, I just think the biggest thing for me,
like we mentioned a little bit earlier, is you know,
they have to figure out how to help c. J.
Shild elevate his game. You know, they're in the process
of investing a lot more into him. They'll likely pick
up that fifth year option just given the history of
(09:18):
of what teams have done in the past, and he's
their number one investment in the potential face of this franchise.
And I know Nick Caserio said it's not one player,
and it's not one player, but there are tiers to
the level of importance of positions in the NFL, and
(09:40):
quarterback is the number one and it's hard to come
across the quarterback, as Nick Caserio learned, And given the
fact that they have somebody who has performed at the
top level in their building, they have to figure out
how they can get him back to that level or
(10:01):
a level that will help them win a Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
So is Joe Mixon's injury the weirdest thing you've ever covered, Yes.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Because because of so little details about it and the
way Nick Casario talked about it yesterday being that it
was something that he's never seen before. I've never heard
of someone referred.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
To something like that, and for him not to play
an entire season and maybe not even next year just
kind of underscores how serious the issue this is for them,
especially when it wasn't anything he was doing that it
was irristonsible, very.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Weird, unique as the word that Nick U's situation. To
be sure, plenty of other things to discuss. I'm sure
we'll need to beckon you again this off season. Really
appreciate you joining us throughout the year obviously, as I
mentioned before, great stuff as their beat writer, contributing and
coming with some pretty entertaining stories throughout the season, including
several on CJ. Stroud. So we appreciate what you're doing
(11:08):
for the peeps here that love their Texans and joining
us here.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
Today absolutely than having you got it.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Jonathan m Alexander, beat writer for the Houston Texans. There
for the Houston Chronicle as the off season is now
into its fourth day.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
Brutal, sad, brutal, brutal stuff. We'll continue. We're getting ready
for Rockets basketball coming up at the top of the hour,
but plenty of meat left on the bone before we
get there. Texans wise and other that's coming up straight
ahead
Popular Podcasts
Two Guys, Five Rings: Matt, Bowen & The Olympics
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.
iHeartOlympics: The Latest
Listen to the latest news from the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Milan Cortina Winter Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are here and have everyone talking. iHeartPodcasts is buzzing with content in honor of the XXV Winter Olympics We’re bringing you episodes from a variety of iHeartPodcast shows to help you keep up with the action. Follow Milan Cortina Winter Olympics so you don’t miss any coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and if you like what you hear, be sure to follow each Podcast in the feed for more great content from iHeartPodcasts.