The last time the Houston Texans were relevant, Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt were the cornerstones of the franchise, Bill O'Brien was calling plays and the world had not yet heard of the coronavirus. That was 2019. Since then the Texans have crashed, going 11-38-1 in three seasons. The franchise cut ties with both Watson and Watt -- albeit for different reasons -- O'Brien was fired and the COVID-19 pandemic has come and gone.

Houston hit rock bottom last season, going a woeful 3-13-1, but the offseason has given fans reason to believe that the Texans are on the rise again. Beloved former linebacker DeMeco Ryans was hired to lead the team's turnaround, and his hiring signaled that the front office is finally serious about winning, something the past two hires -- David Culley and Lovie Smith -- did not. Though he has never been a head coach, Ryans served as the defensive coordinator the last two seasons for the 49ers, who allowed 305.3 yards per game under Ryans, the second fewest in the NFL over that time.

April's NFL Draft brought even more hope. With their quarterbacks having thrown 34 interceptions over the past two seasons (second most in the league over that time), the Texans used the No. 2 overall pick on quarterback C.J. Stroud from Ohio State. Then, the front office sent shockwaves through the draft by trading up to the No. 3 pick and selecting off-the-edge attack man Will Anderson from Alabama. Watson and Watt finally have their successors.

Among other things, the team must still find capable pass catchers. The most proven on the roster is 31-year-old Robert Woods, who signed with the Texans in the offseason after catching 53 passes for 527 yards and two touchdowns last year for the Titans. Houston will likely need to rely on several first-year receivers, including John Metchie III (who sat out last season after being diagnosed with leukemia), Nathaniel Dell and Xavier Hutchinson.

Houston has the good fortune of playing in the pillow soft AFC South and facing a manageable schedule with just five games against teams that made the playoffs last season. (Two of those come against the Jaguars.) But success in 2023 will be measured by more than wins and losses for this young team under a first-year head coach. Improvement will be equally as important as the Texans build for the future. But they finally have those building blocks.

• 2023 NFL Futures betting guide: Win totals, prop picks and more

Below, you'll find the Houston Texans 2023 schedule, win total and more futures odds from Caesars Sportsbook, followed by picks from top SportsLine NFL analysts, including:

• Larry Hartstein, who tied for 52nd place (out of 1,598 entries) in the 2022 Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest, going 53-34-3 ATS (61 percent). Entering the 2023 season, Larry is 521-427 all-time on NFL sides and props (plus $3,679 for $100 players, every bet 1 unit) at SportsLine.
• Alex Selesnick, who specializes in NFL, MLB and NBA prop betting, where he implements a combination of research, statistical analysis and mathematical modeling. He is arguably the nation's No. 1 props expert, and he is 309-231 (plus 61.09 units with every bet 1 unit) in the NFL entering the 2023 season.
  
• R.J. White, who consistently crushes the NFL and shares his SuperContest and Survivor picks at SportsLine during the season. R.J. went 535-450-30 on ATS picks from 2017-22, returning $3,532 to $100 players as SportsLine's No. 1 NFL expert in against the spread picks.

Houston Texans 2023 schedule

Week 1: at Ravens
Week 2: vs. Colts
Week 3: at Jaguars
Week 4: vs. Steelers
Week 5: at Falcons
Week 6: vs. Saints
Week 7: Bye
Week 8: at Panthers
Week 9: vs. Buccaneers
Week 10: at Bengals
Week 11: vs. Cardinals
Week 12: vs. Jaguars
Week 13: vs. Broncos
Week 14: at Jets
Week 15: at Titans
Week 16: vs. Browns
Week 17: vs. Titans
Week 18: at Colts

Houston Texans 2023 futures odds

Win Total Over: 6.5 (+120)
Win Total Under: 6.5 (-140)

Make Playoffs: Yes (+650)
Miss Playoffs: No (-1000)

Win Division: +1000
Win Conference: +10000
Win Super Bowl: +20000

So will the Texans go over or under their win total for the 2023 season? And what other futures bets are worth making? ... Join SportsLine right now to see SportsLine's Houston Texans 2023 futures picks, all from the acclaimed experts who have crushed the NFL for years!