Where are you located? If your soil is alkaline, you have to grow azaleas in (large) pots containing the azalea/camellia soil without any of your native soil added to the mix. If the plants are rootbound, i.e. the roots go round and round the rootball, cut them and spread them out before you plant them. Sun is fine in the spring, but they'll prefer some shade to cope with the intense summer.

I'm located in Houston. Do you think I should dig them back up and cut the roots and spread them out and put them back in the ground?

If that first picture is how you left them all they were planted way too high. The finished soil level should be such that most or no roots are left exposed (without burying the main stems). And all of the soil area immediately around the plants should be covered in a protective mulch soon after planting.

Heath family plants like these have a too fine textured, dense and brittle root system to pull open. If however you think there is a problem you could try instead taking a big knife and shaving the root masses into square shapes to try and correct any circling around the outside that appears to have occurred.

Be sure to keep well watered after such a procedure.

Since you're in Houston, you can most likely rule out the alkaline soil death sentence. Cutting the roots to prevent root girdle is always recommended. My experience with azaleas is limited to containers, so I'll let someone who has more experience with your particular situation take over. In the meantime, I'd suggest covering the bare soil with mulch. Also, if the soil is saturated, increase the interval between waterings.

You should also get them out of the small amended planting holes you have now and either

replace all of the soil in the bed with an organic mix thought suitable for the purpose

or

plant in the existing soil, without internal physical modification, and rely on diligent mulching to provide a suitable growing environment.

And yes, azaleas are shade plants - you probably need to move them to an entirely different part of the site, where there is an adequate source of shade.

Plant them high above clay ground.... around 18 inches high full of pine bark fines/mulch.

And protection from full sun after noon.

http://www.metromaples.com/growing-azaleas-in-dfw/  I gave up years ago. Too much sun. The soil is mostly limestone rubble so it was hard to work with. Now I am experimenting with container growing. At my current house, I finally have mature house that came with the house for shade... sadly, the soil is not ideal for azaleas. Dwarf Japanese Maples will have to do ...