John Harris breaks down the safety position for the Houston Texans heading into the 2023 season.

Tavierre Thomas – 2021 free agent – Tav just made plays. Defense. Special Teams. He was constantly around the football and the 2022 defense missed him when he was out with an injury early in the season. He played in just ten games, but finished eighth on the team averaging 4.1 tackles per game.

2022 stats – 41 tackles, two FFs, one TFL

Jonathan Owens – 2019 free agent – JO finished as the second leading tackler on the team with 125 stops. He and Pitre combined for 272 tackles, which has to change next season. Regardless, he became a full season starter for the first time in his career and made a significant impact on this defense in 2022. I can only imagine the growth he’ll make in 2023 and beyond after a valuable 2022 season.

2022 stats – 125 tackles, 1.0 sack, four passes defensed

Tremon Smith – 2021 free agent – Tremon is one of the most electric return threats in the league, but teams didn’t give him a ton of opportunity in 2022. But, he finally got an opportunity to get playing time at CB and he filled in well. He had two interceptions against Dallas in the gut-wrenching loss and tied for second on the team with those two picks. He also led the team in forced fumbles with three.

2022 stats – 22 tackles, three FF, two INT, 1.0 TFL

M.J. Stewart – 2022 free agent – As the 2022 season wore on, Stewart was rewarded with more and more playing time and it was his tipped ball that Tremon Smith intercepted at Dallas. Stewart was a rock star on special teams all year long and his play at safety improved significantly as the season progressed.

2022 stats – 41 tackles, two FRs, one TFL

Thinking about unrestricted free agents is tough in some sense, trying to find the right fit and the right money. In this secondary even more so because the Texans have plenty of returning players and Day One/Day Two draft capital already on the roster. So, I don’t anticipate a…