HOUSTON -- An ominous thunderstorm produced deafening thunderclaps throughout Houston on Wednesday.
That noise was nothing compared to what the Houston Texans have produced in the past hour.
As the start of the new league year approached, the Texans delivered three seismic blows to the NFL landscape. First, Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler agreed to a four-year deal worth $72 million. Second, former Dolphins running back Lamar Miller came aboard -- four years, $26 million. Third, former Chiefs guard Jeff Allen joined up for four years and $28 million. Altogether those contracts total $126 million, beginning the offensive overhaul the Texans need in order to be competitive next season.
This year they worked quickly to start crafting a worthy complement to their elite defense.
This is so unlike the Texans.
They haven't been major players in free agency lately. Their last spending spree came in 2011, when they added defensive backs Johnathan Joseph and Danieal Manning to help shore up a defense that needed help. Last season they waited, opting mostly to wrap up their own players. The year before, they waited as well.
Houston had one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season. They ranked 31st in yards per play. Their running game was uncharacteristically ineffective.
Yes, quarterback was a problem. Brian Hoyer caved at the moments when the Texans needed him the most. Coach Bill O'Brien mishandled the position, but there weren't many good options available to him.
But quarterback wasn't the only problem.
These three additions are important and will help. Miller gives the Texans speed they didn't have. Allen gives the Texans someone who can replace Brandon Brooks, who departed for the Eagles in free agency. And Osweiler gives the Texans an instant upgrade at quarterback, though his sample size is relatively small.
The Texans paid what is about the going rate for quarterbacks this offseason, even quarterbacks with a lot of unknowns. Osweiler's $18 million per year salary puts him between Washington's Kirk Cousins and Philadelphia's Sam Bradford. He has some areas that need improvement, but he is poised under pressure. That alone will give the Texans something they didn't have last season.
Even with all their offensive deficiencies last season, the Texans won the AFC South with a 9-7 record. They started 2-5 but were able to recover.
Their defense, led by defensive end J.J. Watt and orchestrated masterfully by coordinator Romeo Crennel in the second half of the season, was the reason why. That defense was the reason they stunned the then-undefeated Bengals on the road. That defense was why they had a semblance of a chance in their playoff game against the Chiefs -- a game in which Hoyer turned the ball over five times.
If the Texans' offense was just a little bit better last season, just a little bit better in that playoff game, their herculean defensive effort would have meant more.
On Wednesday the Texans spent big with that in mind.