John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.

Watching running back Joe Mixon and defensive end Danielle Hunter provide the Texans with impactful performances in Monday night's victory over the Cowboys was even more proof of the outstanding job Executive Vice President/General Manager Nick Caserio did acquiring players during the offseason.

Caserio tries to bring in players Head Coach DeMeco Ryans and his assistants want, and they should be commended for jobs well-done in trades, free agency and the draft.

"We work really well together, and we see the game in a similar way," Ryans said. "We work together from a list of guys we want, and everybody's involved in that process."

The Dallas beatdown is just the most recent example of the kind of offseason Caserio authored.

For instance, Caserio sent a seventh-round draft choice to Cincinnati for Mixon, who rushed for 109 yards and three touchdowns against the Cowboys. He has 764 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns – 10 rushing -- despite missing 2.5 games with an ankle injury.

When quarterback C.J. Stroud was asked this week what makes Mixon special, he said, "His mentality -- comes in every day just being himself. What he does on the field, he's very special with the ball in his hand."

Mixon has six 100-yard games, tied with Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley for most in the NFL. He averages 11.3 yards per catch, best in the league among running backs.

For some inexplicable reason, the Bengals were getting ready to release Mixon when Caserio offered the draft choice before he became a free agent.

"Nick was able to work out the trade with Cincinnati, and that was a very smart move because that enabled us to get Joe, and we didn't have to get in a bidding war," Ryans said. "You always want to run the ball, so getting Joe was a big piece for us."

Caserio signed Hunter as a free agent, paying him $49 million over two years. Against the Cowboys, Hunter had two sacks, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and 10 pressures. Next Gen Stats has Hunter No. 1 in the NFL with 72 pressures.

Hunter has 7.5 sacks, tying end Will Anderson Jr. for the team lead on a top-five defense entering Sunday's game against Tennessee at NRG Stadium. Hunter has 30 tackles, including 10 for loss, and he's knocked down opposing quarterbacks 17 times.

"Every player you want doesn't always happen (but) Hunter was our top edge guy, and we were very fortunate to get him," Ryans said. "He wanted to be here, and that helps when you have a player that wants to be here."

Hunter has played a vital role in helping the Texans lead the league in pressures and tackles for loss.

"The thing that shows up with Hunter is the persistence," Ryans said. "He's getting after it with everything he has. He has a lot of different moves, and he's been around the quarterback a lot. He's finishing a lot more, as well. I'm really proud of his body of work."

Mixon and Hunter have been outstanding, but they're not the only first-year players who have contributed to the Texans' 7-4 record and solid lead in the AFC South over the Colts (5-6), Titans (2-8) and Jaguars (2-9).

While the Texans continue to prepare for Sunday's game against the Titans, this is a good time to review Caserio's offseason and the haul the team made in player acquisitions.

Besides Mixon, Caserio traded a second-round pick he got from Minnesota to Buffalo for wide receiver Stefon Diggs. With Nico Collins sidelined because of a hamstring injury, Diggs emerged as Stroud's go-to receiver with 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdown receptions.

Diggs suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the home victory over the Colts. It was the first time in his 10-year career he had a major injury, and his eight games played were the fewest of his career.

Other than Hunter, Caserio's most productive free agent signings have been linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, four defensive linemen – Tim Settle, Denico Autry, Mario Edwards Jr. and Foley Fatukasi – and punter Tommy Townsend.

Settle tied his career high with a fifth sack against the Cowboys. Fatukasi has started every game when healthy. Autry and Edwards have rebounded impressively from league-mandated suspensions.

Caserio raised a lot of eyebrows when he elected to not re-sign punter Cam Johnston and added Townsend, who won two Super Bowl rings with the Chiefs. He has a 47.4-yard gross average and a 43.9 net. His net is sixth in the NFL.

Townsend's 27 punts inside the 20-yard line are tied for the most in the league. He's also helped the Texans rank second in opponents' punt returns with a 4.9-yard average.

Now, let's move on to the draft. The Texans didn't have a first-round pick because of the 2023 draft trade with Arizona that allowed them to select defensive end Will Anderson Jr. Caserio used his second-round pick on cornerback Kamari Lassiter, who impressed the coaches so much he became an instant starter the first time he stepped on the practice field during the offseason program.

Lassiter and Derek Stingley Jr. have become a dynamic duo at cornerback. Going into the Tennessee game, they're the No. 2 combination when targeted by opposing quarterbacks, who have a 49.7 rating throwing at Stingley and 55.2 when throwing at Lassiter.

The Texans also have received a substantial contribution from safety Calen Bullock, a third-round draft choice. He leads the defense with four interceptions. Lassiter has three, giving them a combined seven, the most by a rookie twosome.

The offense has gotten some production from tight end Cade Stover, a fourth-round pick. He's primarily used as a blocker, but he also has 10 catches for 102 yards.

"We wanted to place our emphasis on our offensive and defensive lines," Ryans said about putting together his team. "We wanted to make sure we're strong up front and make sure we secured our perimeter with playmakers like Diggs, Kamari and Hunter."

Speaking of the defensive line and playmakers, Settle has been a nice surprise. The defensive tackle is 27 and in his seventh season, his first with the Texans.

Settle's career high had been five sacks for Washington in 2020, his third season. He had two in the previous three seasons with Washington and Buffalo, and he's got six more games to shatter his career high of five sacks.

"Even though he's been around the league for a while, Tim's still a young player providing a lot of energy," Ryans said. "I think Tim has benefitted from doing what we're asked him to do schematically, just attacking.

"Tim's one of our smartest players on defense. He does a good job of being exactly where he's supposed to be, understanding schemes and making plays he's supposed to make. He's not pressing to make plays. He's just executing the defense, attacking and playing our brand of ball."

The Texans' brand of defense under Ryans and coordinator Matt Burke has helped them rank fourth overall (297.1 yards a game), including ninth against the run (108.8) and sixth against the pass (188.3). The Texans are 11^th in points allowed (21.5).

"There are a lot of guys out there, but we want guys who fit us schematically," Ryans said. "We want to make sure we get guys that fit what we want to do."

Through 11 games, Ryans' first-year players have fit like a glove.