Kyle Brandt· Mar 13, 2025
Brandt picked the Texans as the overlooked AFC team that will close the gap on Kansas City in 2025, and named Joshua Palmer of the Bills as his breakout player.
“The Texans will not be the darling team this year... This will be the team that is not being looked at.”
said on air or in an interview · Move the Sticks (podcast) · read the original →
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- Surprise Team CallsHouston TexansMar 13, 2025
Houston Texans to beat expectations
“I like the Texans. I like where the Texans are going... yes, the Texans in twenty twenty five the alternative choice.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Jared KochRoster Spot Calls · Nico CollinsHit · 100Koch projects the Texans' wide receiver depth chart after Jayden Higgins' season-ending injury, naming Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson and Jaylin Noel as starters, listing backups and roster locks, and predicting Collins tops his 2025 receiving marks.
- Jared KochRoster Spot Calls · Brevin JordanHit · 100Koch expects Brevin Jordan to be the odd man out among Houston's five tight ends and be inactive for the Week 1 game against the Bills, largely due to a leg injury.
- Jared KochRoster Spot Calls · Lewis BondHit · 100Koch argues Kayshon Boutte is a winner in the trade to Houston, likely to see many more snaps and potentially post a career season, while Xavier Hutchinson's path to a breakout gets harder. He also sees Kamari Ramsey stepping up as the primary backup safety behind a top three of Bullock, Pitre and Blankenship, and views Jared Wayne as a fringe roster player squeezed by receivers he calls virtual locks.
- Jared KochRoster Spot Calls · Jared WayneHit · 100Koch highlights five Texans preseason standouts, suggesting Jared Wayne could claim the final receiver roster spot, Aiden Fisher could sneak onto the 53-man roster, Jaylen Reed has locked in a Week 1 roster spot, Marlin Klein will climb the tight end depth chart, and Wade Woodaz has a solid chance at the LB3 role.
- Jared KochRoster Spot Calls · Jared WayneHit · 100Koch argues that with Jayden Higgins lost for the season, third-year receiver Jared Wayne's rising stock makes him likely to make the Texans' 53-man roster rather than the practice squad.
- Lance ZierleinRoster Spot Calls · Lewis BondHit · 100Zierlein expects Texans QB C.J. Stroud to play roughly 10-12 plays in Thursday's preseason game, with Davis Mills going to halftime and newly signed Brett Rypien playing the entire second half. He also said if Tank Dell isn't ready, Lewis Bond and Jaden Hall would both likely make the roster, and predicted Keelan Rutledge will be the starting center with Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith starting.
More surprise team calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
- Carter BahnsSurprise Team Calls · Cincinnati BengalsPendingBahns named the Bengals a dark-horse Super Bowl contender on the strength of their retooled defense.
- John BreechSurprise Team Calls · New Orleans SaintsPendingBreech expects Caleb Williams to return quickly from his hamstring injury, at the latest by Week 4 against the Jets or Week 5 against the Packers, and he picked the Rams to beat the Giants on Monday night. He also floated the Saints as a potential surprise team this season.
- Ralph VacchianoSurprise Team Calls · New Orleans SaintsPendingVacchiano says the Saints, whom he had already called the NFC's biggest surprise of the season, are good enough to win the weak NFC South, though not yet a championship contender.
- Gilberto ManzanoSurprise Team Calls · Las Vegas RaidersPendingManzano calls the 2-0 Raiders under first-time head coach Klint Kubiak one of the season's biggest surprise teams and a club now thinking playoffs, sees the 2-0 49ers headed for another winning season, and views New Orleans as the class of the NFC South with Tyler Shough playing well.
- John BreechSurprise Team Calls · New Orleans SaintsPendingGrading Week 2, Breech says the Saints — fresh off upsetting the Ravens in Baltimore — look like a club that could beat expectations this season.
- Nick WrightSurprise Team Calls · Atlanta FalconsPendingWright stuck by his preseason call of a 12-5 Bills team that wins its division, picked the Jaguars to beat Denver outright, leaned Texans over Cincinnati, still has Atlanta as his deep sleeper, counts New England among his 14 playoff teams, and recalled pegging Washington for a 5-12 or 6-11 year with a bottom-six defense.