Breaking down the AFC South: Texans the favorites; Titans' Cam Ward a must-see

David Wilson, Miami Herald on Aug 29, 2025

Published in Football

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The 2025 NFL season is set to get underway on Sept. 4 when the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles face the Dallas Cowboys.

The Miami Herald broke down each division and continues with the AFC South, looking at the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.

AFC SOUTH

Houston Texans

— Coach: DeMeco Ryans (third season with the Texans; 20-14 in the regular season, 2-2 in the playoffs)

— Last season: 10-7 (first in the division), lost in the AFC divisional round to the Chiefs

— Key additions: RB Nick Chubb, RB Woody Marks, WR Jayden Higgins, T Cam Robinson, S C.J. Gardner-Johnson

— Key subtractions: WR Stefon Diggs, T Laremy Tunsil

— Looking ahead: If that really was a sophomore slump for quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Texans might be in pretty good shape going forward. Houston still won the division despite a step back for Stroud in Year 2 and the Texans are still the clear class of the AFC South. Stroud might be the type of quarterback who can prop up an offense on his own, letting DeMeco Ryans focus on building a defense and the coach might have a pretty good one — linebacker Will Anderson Jr. is already a star, cornerback Derek Stingley is a legitimate superstar, and Houston has a loaded group of safeties with Jalen Pitre, Calen Bullock and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, fresh off a Super Bowl with the Eagles last year.

Indianapolis Colts

— Coach: Shane Steichen (third season with the Colts; 17-17 in the regular season)

— Last season: 8-9 (second in the division)

— Key additions: QB Daniel Jones, TE Tyler Warren, DE JT Tuimoloau, CB Charvarius Ward, S Camryn Bynum

— Key subtractions: G Will Fries, C Ryan Kelly, DE Dayo Odeyingbo, S Julian Blackmon

— Looking ahead: Year 3 of the Shane Steichen era marks a fork in the road for the Colts: Indianapolis claims it’s not giving up on Anthony Richardson, but benching for the former first-round pick for fellow quarterback Daniel Jones suggests otherwise. Of course, Jones is a former first-round pick, too. Maybe Indianapolis can rejuvenate Jones’ career: Steichen was the first coach to turn Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts into a star with a run-heavy offense and the Colts have the personnel to get the most out of Jones’ legs, with superstar guard Quenton Nelson paving the way and star running back Jonathan Taylor taking some pressure off of whoever hands him the ball.

Jacksonville Jaguars

— Coach: Liam Coen (first season as an NFL head coach)

— Last season: 4-13 (third in the division)

— Key additions: WR Dyami Brown, WR/CB Travis Hunter, G Patrick Mekari, G Wyatt Milum, CB Jourdan Lewis

— Key subtractions: WR Gabe Davis, TE Evan Engram, T Cam Robinson, G Brandon Scherff, C Mitch Morse

— Looking ahead: The Jaguars might be the worst team in the NFL, but it doesn’t mean they won’t be one of the most interesting. Offensive-minded coach Liam Coen will try to save quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s career, wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. is trying to build off a stellar rookie season and solidify himself as one of the best wideouts in the league and, above all else, rookie Travis Hunter will captivate everyone’s imagination as he tries to become the NFL’s first true two-way player in generations. Jacksonville will probably be bad, but Hunter will be must-watch television.

Tennessee Titans

— Coach: Brian Callahan (second season with the Titans; 3-14 in the regular season)

— Last season: 3-14 (fourth in the division)

— Key additions: QB Cam Ward, T Dan Moore Jr., G Kevin Zeitler, DE Oluwafemi Oladejo, S Kevin Winston Jr.

— Key subtractions: WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, DE Harold Landry

— Looking ahead: It’s no longer unusual to see a rookie quarterback win postseason games, and quarterback Cam Ward is the best bet to follow in the footsteps of Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels to do the same this season. Ward was the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, has a very solid offensive line in front of him and has at least one game-breaking defensive player on the other side of the ball in star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.