Before we knew what they had in DeMeco Ryans, C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson Jr. and the rest of the gang, this Houston Texans team was considered one the weakest in the NFL going into the 2023 season. What an extraordinary change the last year has brought. Heading into the 2024 campaign, Houston is now not only vastly improved but considered one of the toughest teams in the league. Some analysts even believe the Texans are among the elite Super Bowl contenders this season.

In a batch of pre-training camp power rankings from Josh Kendall at the New York Times, Houston has been ranked the fourth-best team in the entire NFL. Only the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions are ranked higher. Here’s what he had to share about the Texans going into 2024.

“For most of the NFL’s history, calling a team the Detroit Lions of the AFC would have been fighting words. Not anymore. The Texans are the cross-conference counterparts of the Lions, which is to say their conference’s best-vibes team. After C.J. Stroud’s remarkable rookie season, Houston is going all in behind its young quarterback, re-signing tight end Dalton Schultz and adding wide receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon to an offense that scored 45 points against one of the league’s best defenses in Stroud’s first career playoff game. If the Texans can survive being this offseason’s hot team, it could be a special season in Houston.”

Truly a remarkable turnaround for the organization in such a short amount of time. General manager Nick Caserio probably should have won the Executive of the Year award for his work last offseason, and this year he may have an even stronger case if the new additions pan out. Stefon Diggs, Joe Mixon and Danielle Hunter will get most of the attention, but smart low-key pickups like Denico Autry should also pay off in a big way.

Last year these Texans were stopped in the divisional round of the playoffs by the Baltimore Ravens (ranked fifth). But this time around the only thing standing between them and a Super Bowl appearance may be the reigning champions in Kansas City. Injuries can ruin any team’s season, but with a little bit of luck they could go all the way.