SAN DIEGO — Like few other NFL teams this offseason, the Houston Texans are as acquisitive as Richard Pryor's character in Brewster's Millions.

You know, the movie whose protagonist must spend $30 million in 30 days in order to inherit $300 million.

Shopping, shopping and shopping, the Texans have added no fewer than seven players to their projected starting lineups plus a few backups.

In addition, they made a trade involving four draft picks — three of them before the third round.

What's going on here?

Here's what: a year ago Houston obtained the NFL's version of a golden ticket when it drafted former Ohio State star C.J. Stroud second overall and saw him engineer one of the better seasons ever by a rookie QB.

Stroud, 22, represents an ultra bargain for at least three more years if he can maintain his high level of play

Any QB who plays well returns good value. Having Stroud on the relative cheap through 2026 stiffens the tailwind, enabling the Texans to devote larger slices of the salary cap to other positions.

A whole lot could go wrong, of course, but Stroud and the related NFL economics mean the AFC franchise has it best shot in a long time — perhaps ever — at building its first Super Bowl team.

General manager Nick Caserio's largest bets this offseason have brought in two decorated players: edge rusher Danielle Hunter, a four-time Pro Bowler with the Vikings whom they pledged $48 million in guaranteed money; and receiver Stefon Diggs, a 2020 All-Pro who's made the last four Pro Bowls and abetted the development of QBs Josh Allen and Kirk Cousins.

Getting Diggs in this week's trade with AFC rival Buffalo cost Caserio, a former Patriots scout, a second-round pick in next year's draft. In addition to Diggs, the Texans received fifth- and sixth-round chips from the Bills.

While the best years for Hunter, 29, and Diggs, 30, may be behind them, the edge rusher is still dangerous — though he might benefit from a lighter workload. Diggs figures to provide Stroud a useful underneath option behind No. 1 receiver Nico Collins.

Bringing in five other projected starters, the Texans have added veteran defenders in tackles Folorunso Fatukasi and Denico Autry, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, cornerback Jeff Okudah and running back Joe Mixon, a former Bengals Pro Bowler.

The best of these moves? Al-Shaair, by a slim margin.

At 26, he's younger than most free-agent additions. He played under Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, a former All-Pro linebacker, when Ryans was coordinating the 49ers' defense.

Impressively, Caserio pulled off the deals without becoming so now-focused that he neglected future drafts.

The GM dealt this year's 23rd overall selection to the Vikings for the 42nd pick this year and Minnesota's second-round pick next year, plus a sixth-rounder this year.

Caserio was likely mindful that the Vikings need a franchise quarterback and thus may be willing to pay a higher price in draft capital to ensure they'll get a targeted QB later this month or supplement such as selection.

Trading out of the lower third of the first round also jibes with NFL teams' studies cited by Hall of Fame talent man Bill Polian that found that, on average, only 15 to 20 players in a draft warrant a first-round grade.

Caserio holds nine picks in the seven-round draft, including a pair of second-rounders and a third-rounder. Soon thereafter, a dozen-plus compensation picks will further thin every drafting team's opportunities.

The big picture here: what the Texans are trying to do is put their own spin on a favorable team-building approach spawned by the 2011 NFL collective bargaining agreement's slashing of draft class' salaries, particularly for first-round selections.

Several teams have since parlayed the "surplus value" of a top-10 young QB on his first NFL contract into no less than a Super Bowl appearance.

Think of the Seahawks on the first contract to Russell Wilson (two NFC titles, one Super Bowl trophy), the Chiefs likewise before they issued a second contract to Patrick Mahomes (two AFC titles, one Super Bowl trophy) and the Bengals with 2020 draftee Joe Burrow (one Super Bowl appearance).

The Charlie Brown in this drama? The Los Angeles Chargers.

Like the character who gets rocks while trick-or-treating, the Bolts never got close to the Super Bowl in the four-year "ultra bargain" phase of Justin Herbert's career that ended this past winter.

(Happily for the thousands of San Diegans who invest time and emotion in Team Spanos, the inability of Tom Telesco and John Spanos to capitalize on the Herbert golden ticket ultimately led to this winter's franchise-changing hire of coach Jim Harbaugh and GM Joe Hortiz. Also, even under his second, much-heftier contract, Herbert will takes up less cap space than several other QBs this year and in 2025.)

Can Stroud maintain his top-10 standard, now that NFL opponents understand him?

However this works out, the Texans are applying a sound approach that improves their chances of dethroning the Chiefs' AFC dynasty and fending off the rising "JH Chargers" — Jim Harbaugh, Justin Herbert and Joe Hortiz — among other AFC franchises in the months and years ahead.

©2024 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.