The Texans do not have many big-name players capable of testing free agency. CB Dunta Robinson is their best player that could hit the market if they don't agree to terms with him before then. Robinson wants to be paid what some of the best corners in the league make. Since he is coming off a career-threatening injury, the Texans have to make a decision about how much they are going to commit to him.

UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACK: Starter -- Matt Schaub. Backup -- Sage Rosenfels.

Schaub showed significant progress from his first year as a starter to his second season. But the biggest issue remains his durability. He tore his MCL and returned quickly, but for the second season in a row he was able to start only 11 games. The Texans need to know he can start 16 as they count on him to help lead them to their first playoff berth. The Texans do believe if he can stay on the field, he is the quarterback capable of getting them to the next level. He helped lead the third-ranked offense this season. He is poised in the pocket and handles himself well under pressure. The main issue for him heading into next season is to reduce the turnovers and take better care of the ball. He lost four fumbles this season and threw 10 interceptions. Rosenfels still has another year left on his contract and it's likely he will return to play it out. He struggled with turnovers this season, throwing just six touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions in just five starts. He also lost two fumbles. He remains solid for the Texans in the system, but he takes a number of risks as a quarterback, which leads to the turnovers and oftentimes to losses.

RUNNING BACKS: Starters -- RB Steve Slaton, FB Vonta Leach. Backups -- RB Ryan Moats, FB/HB Cecil Sapp. Injured reserve -- RB Ahman Green, RB Chris Taylor, RB Chris Brown.

The Texans were finally able to find some consistency at running back for the first time in the Gary Kubiak era. It ended up paying off. After Green was hurt in the season opener, Slaton took over the job and never relinquished it. He proved durable and he did solid in pass protection, allowing the coaches to trust him to stay on the field for the majority of games. He also surprised the team by getting stronger as the season went on, and racked up 1,282 rushing yards to lead all rookies. He will come back next season as the unquestioned starter. Green and Brown won't likely be involved in the team's plans next season. Moats and Taylor could return to battle for a position, but the Texans will likely look in free agency and/or late in the draft for a big back who fits the zone-blocking scheme well. They would like another back to spell Slaton, who can especially push the pile in the red zone.

TIGHT END: Starter -- Owen Daniels. Backups -- Joel Dreessen, Clark Harris.

The Texans showed again just how much they like to utilize their tight ends in the passing game. While Daniels improved drastically in his pass protection, he also proved to be a solid target again. He was the team's second-leading receiver with 70 catches for 862 yards and two touchdowns. The Texans often utilized a two tight end set with Daniels and Dreessen, who was primarily used for his blocking. It's a critical part of their offensive game plan, and that won't likely change next year. Harris is likely going to be added as the team's long snapper and as a reserve tight end. He focused only on long snapping at the end of last season, but the coaches want to make him more versatile and said he is capable of playing a role on offense.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters -- Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter. Backups -- Andre' Davis, Jacoby Jones, David Anderson.

This remains one of the team's positions of strength. Johnson leads the group as the team's lone All-Pro player. He is coming off the best season of his career and is a major reason why the team was as productive offensively as it was. He can get open despite being covered by two or three defenders. And he can catch passes that other receivers can't get their hands on. Walter put together the best season of his career, providing a good target for the quarterbacks when defenses were focusing on Johnson. Davis and Anderson shared the No. 3 job much of the season. Anderson is a short-pass type of target and can typically get open in the end zone. Davis is a big-play threat each time he touches the ball because of his speed. Jones needs to make bigger strides to get into the mix at receiver if he is going to maintain his position on the team.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Starters -- LT Duane Brown, LG Chester Pitts, C Chris Myers, RG Mike Brisiel, RT Eric Winston. Backups -- T Ephraim Salaam, G Kasey Studdard, C/G Chris White, T Rashad Butler.

For the first time in franchise history, the Texans started the same five linemen for all 16 games. The continuity proved to be critical as the group meshed well and picked up the zone-blocking scheme as the season developed. Brown proved to be a quality left tackle, but to keep him fresh for the whole season, they rested him every third series in games. Salaam helped spell Brown and the combination seemed to pay off. Salaam is a quality backup, but benefitted from getting more involved. He also worked to help develop Brown. Pitts still hasn't missed a start since he entered the league in 2002, and worked well with Brown early in the season to make sure Brown knew where he was supposed to be. Myers was adequate in his first season, but could still improve especially in pass protection. The right side combination of Winston and Brisiel opened up big holes in the running game. That's where RB Steve Slaton found his biggest gains. They were also solid in pass protection and should remain in their positions next season. The entire line will likely return intact next season. They could still use depth in their line, especially at guard. Studdard has yet to prove he can become a solid backup in the NFL. He has struggled in his limited time.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Starters -- LDE Anthony Weaver, DT Amobi Okoye, NT Travis Johnson, RDE Mario Williams. Backups -- DE Earl Cochran, DT DelJuan Robinson, DE Tim Bulman, DT Jeff Zgonina, DE Jesse Nading.

This remains the position with three No. 1 draft picks and underachieving results. They struggled to pressure quarterbacks again this season and now will be going into 2009 with a new defensive line coach. While Weaver was healthier this year, he provides no pass rush ability and does only adequately against the run. Okoye struggled this year because of a high ankle sprain, but showed his potential in the final few weeks when he played his best football since his rookie season. Johnson still didn't put together a very solid season and hasn't played worthy of a No. 1 pick. He has no pass-rush ability and his run stopping isn't tremendous. Williams earned his first Pro Bowl invitation but his sack numbers were down from a year ago. He did, however, disrupt a number of plays. He had little help from teammates as far as taking attention away from him. Offenses were able to key on him. He improved somewhat against the run. The bright spot on the defensive line was the emergence of young players like Robinson, Bulman and Nading. Bulman became a solid situational pass rusher and Robinson showed he is capable of getting to the ball. They should help as far as depth goes next season, but the Texans need to find a way to get more out of their starters.

LINEBACKERS: Starters -- SLB Zac Diles, MLB DeMeco Ryans, WLB Xavier Adibi. Backups -- OL Kevin Bentley, OL Chaun Thompson, OL Morlon Greenwood.

An injury to Diles took away the team's leading tackler midway through the season and hurt the linebacker unit. Bentley replaced him and played well, but it was Ryans who especially stepped up after Diles landed on IR. Ryans, who battled a sore ankle throughout the entire season, consistently led the team in tackles each week and showed his ability to get to the ball. He has a good vision on the field and is capable of getting the defense in the right places. He has pass-rush ability and wants to use it, but he is rarely called on to use it. Adibi replaced an injured Greenwood toward the end of the season and could become the future at that position. He has tremendous speed and arm reach, but his size leaves a little concern. Thompson can back up all three positions, but he is used mostly as a situational pass rusher. The Texans need more depth at linebacker going into next season.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters -- FS Eugene Wilson, SS Nick Ferguson, LCB Jacques Reeves, RCB Dunta Robinson. Backups -- CB Fred Bennett, CB Antwaun Molden, CB DeMarcus Faggins, S Will Demps, S Brandon Harrison, S Dominique Barber.

The Texans had their most turnover this season in the secondary. They switched starting safeties midway through the season, partly because of injuries and partly because of poor play. Wilson and Ferguson ended up racking up a number of tackles by the end of the season, mostly because teams passed often against the Texans and they ended up making the plays. Despite lots of criticism in Dallas, Reeves ended up having a solid season for the Texans. He had a career-high four interceptions and broke up a number of plays. Robinson made a speedy recovery from a career-threatening injury. And while he never reached even 90 percent of what he was prior to the injury, he provided a major boost to the defense. They won four of the five games in which he returned to the starting lineup. He expects with a full offseason of working out that he will be 100 percent back to his old form by next season. Rookies Molden and Barber will also likely get more into the mix next season, but with a new secondary coach, this position could undergo one of the biggest turnovers on the team.

SPECIAL TEAMS: K Kris Brown, P Matt Turk, LS Clark Harris, KOR Andre' Davis, PR Jacoby Jones.

Brown had another solid season and remains one of the most reliable kickers. He had one of the best seasons of his career. Turk, who signed a two-year contract last offseason, didn't follow up this year with as solid campaign as 2007. He struggled at times to land punts inside the 20 and rarely landed them inside the 10. He will likely have to compete for his job next season. Harris took over the long-snapping duties for the final four games after Bryan Pittman was suspended for violating the team's drug policy. Harris played very well in tough situations, like freezing temperatures in Green Bay. Because of his versatility to also play tight end, he will likely return as the team's permanent long snapper in 2009. Jones did well early on with two punt returns for touchdowns, but overall struggled, especially to field the ball without fumbling. He must prove to the team that he can get past these issues or he will lose his job. Davis didn't break returns for touchdowns in 2008. He was hampered midway through by a finger injury, but was still reliable in fielding the ball.