Cody Stoots is on the forefront of what we might lovingly call new media. He made his bones on the airwaves in various sports stations in Houston (the last being ESPN 97.5). However, he gave all of that up to cover the Houston Texans full time with his own site houfootball.com. Additionally, he can found on Substack under the same handle as well. One of the advantages of Substack is that it allows content creators to write, record podcasts, and share videos on the platform.
Watching and covering the
Texans full time makes him a go to person to get the ball rolling on the offseason. It is often been said that any particular offseason is the most important offseason in team history. The 2026 offseason might actually be that as the Texans make key long-term decisions on cornerstone players like Will Anderson and C.J. Stroud. However, we started with his overall impressions of the season.
Battle Red Blog: Looking back on the whole season, did the Texans reach your expectations that had coming into the season? Did they exceed expectations? Underperform?
Cody Stoots: I expected them to win 12 games, but didn’t think they would move down in the seeding. Another divisional loss, but this time it wasn’t as close as Kansas City. It was an overall underperforming season for me.
BRB: Obviously, a lot was made of C.J. Stroud’s performance in the playoffs and his long-term future is probably the most high profile question coming into the offseason. Where are you on Stroud and his future in Houston?
CS: C.J. Stroud’s future rests on 2026. If he plays well, then he is the quarterback going forward. It has to be resounding. It can’t be a maybe. Anything less than a stellar season it is time to move on from him.
BRB: Will Anderson is obviously a huge priority to get signed long-term this offseason. Are there any other free agents from the Texans that you feel should be a priority to re-sign?
CS: There are no free agent priorities. It would be nice to have Sheldon Rankins back, but he is far from a necessity. I believe Ed Ingram will get big money on the open market so I am out on bringing him back. They can churn the roster past these free agents.
BRB: The Joe Mixon story is one of the more bizarre stories from the last year. Obviously, none of us knows exactly what happened, but if you had to speculate, do you think it was a football or non-football related injury? Do you think he plays another down for the Texans?
CS: Joe Mixon should never play for the Texans again. He is coming off a season-long injury and the team can’t even say if he is healthy now. How could you plan for that to be a key piece of your team? Move on from Mixon and save the money. As far as what happened, the less they say the more you can speculate. He didn’t shoot himself. I can dispel that rumor. It seems the medical anomaly Nick Caserio spoke of ruined his chances of a return.
BRB: Obviously, free agency and the draft are not here yet and we don’t know exactly who will be available, but in general, which positions do you see the Texans targeting there?
CS: I’d like to see a free agent offensive lineman secure a spot for the next few seasons. I’d want someone with a proven track record. I know free agency can be expensive, but it would be a worthwhile investment. I desire a solid veteran. Kenneth Walker III is the dream, but Breece Hall would do nicely as well. Someone who has a little experience but more juice left than Nick Chubb did last season.
We want to thank Cody for being such a willing partner throughout our time here at Battle Red Blog. He has participated in a number of these exchanges and he is always willing to chip in when we ask. Houfootball.com is a terrific resource for people that want regular coverage from someone on the frontlines. There is free and paid content and I am a happy subscriber to the paid content. Reading regularly makes me feel like I am there at practice and press conferences. Stoots even goes to the Senior Bowl practices and game as well. It is well worth the add to your daily routine.
