2021 Houston Texans - (2 Viewers)

[GregR]

I guess I'd say this... if you gave me an NFL team I would aim to build my team in the draft and with a few solid trades. I'd spend my money retaining players and then try to only augment with role players in free agency.  If I can get a foundational gem in free agency I would do it. Someone like Mathieu at the price last year is a great example, but what he got paid this year isn't as far as I know (never did see the first 2 year contract details to say for sure). Or Johnathan Joseph is a great example. Of course we can point to some other people here or around the league that we thought were going to turn out that way who didn't.

So I'm not horribly against what they are doing this year. I think if they stick with it long term, put the money to use re-signing their own players, that's the model I'd prefer. It also means you have to draft well. We won't know for a few years where this new regime lands there.

But I get that it's nice when you hear that splash signing. I feel the same way.

 

[dhockster]

To be fair, Duane Brown wanted out of town for two years at least in part because he felt slighted by lack of support for the protests. Brandon Brooks hated the culture under O'Brien and was never going to re-sign. Those weren't really money issues, but culture/locker room clash issues.

Jones I don't know of any issues. Might have been strictly money.

This is because O'Brien apparently likes "tough guys" on the offensive line and since Brooks deals with anxiety issues I am sure he was not perceived as tough by O'Brien. A good head coach can effectively get along with all different types of personalities and get the most out of them. The "my way or the highway" approach can still be effective but only if "my way" is proven to be really, really, good. I.e. Bill Belichick. I don't think BOB realizes he is not Bill Belichick yet.

 

[GregR]

This is because O'Brien apparently likes "tough guys" on the offensive line and since Brooks deals with anxiety issues I am sure he was not perceived as tough by O'Brien. A good head coach can effectively get along with all different types of personalities and get the most out of them. The "my way or the highway" approach can still be effective but only if "my way" is proven to be really, really, good. I.e. Bill Belichick. I don't think BOB realizes he is not Bill Belichick yet.

Right, it's an issue. But wasn't a money issue.

I wonder if BOB thinks he can get away with a bunch of mid-tier offensive linemen like New England has for so long.  Where I think the presence of Brady had a lot to do with that, but also I think some of was scheme adjustments and coaching. He probably feels he can do the latter part at least, if I had to guess.

 

[dhockster]

I guess I'd say this... if you gave me an NFL team I would aim to build my team in the draft and with a few solid trades. I'd spend my money retaining players and then try to only augment with role players in free agency.  If I can get a foundational gem in free agency I would do it. Someone like Mathieu at the price last year is a great example, but what he got paid this year isn't as far as I know (never did see the first 2 year contract details to say for sure). Or Johnathan Joseph is a great example. Of course we can point to some other people here or around the league that we thought were going to turn out that way who didn't.

So I'm not horribly against what they are doing this year. I think if they stick with it long term, put the money to use re-signing their own players, that's the model I'd prefer. It also means you have to draft well. We won't know for a few years where this new regime lands there.

But I get that it's nice when you hear that splash signing. I feel the same way.

I agree with your premise. But I think some years you have to go after some players to address your weak areas, especially when you are close to being a SB contender. In Pederson's first year with the Eagles they went 7-9 but they scored 30 more points then they gave up and blew two games so they really should have been 9-7. They were close to being very good, except they needed more weapons for Wentz at WR and RB. So they signed Jeffery and Torrey Smith at WR, and signed Blount at running back in Free Agency. They added depth to their dline by signing Chris Long and then augmented that by drafting Derek Barnett in the first round. They also augmented RB by drafting Corey Clement in the third round and then traded for Jay Ajayi during the season. Oh, did I mention they also signed Nick Foles as their back-up QB?

There was a good reason Howie Roseman was executive of the year.

I laugh when I see teams try to do it the way the Patriots do it, because the Patriots way only works because they have Belichick and Brady. I think the Eagles way is a much easier way for teams to copy. Build up both lines through the draft, get your franchise QB, and then get plenty of weapons for your franchise QB to work with.

The Texans skipped the building the Oline part.

 

[Buckna]

I guess I'd say this... if you gave me an NFL team I would aim to build my team in the draft and with a few solid trades. I'd spend my money retaining players and then try to only augment with role players in free agency.  If I can get a foundational gem in free agency I would do it. Someone like Mathieu at the price last year is a great example, but what he got paid this year isn't as far as I know (never did see the first 2 year contract details to say for sure). Or Johnathan Joseph is a great example. Of course we can point to some other people here or around the league that we thought were going to turn out that way who didn't.

So I'm not horribly against what they are doing this year. I think if they stick with it long term, put the money to use re-signing their own players, that's the model I'd prefer. It also means you have to draft well. We won't know for a few years where this new regime lands there.

But I get that it's nice when you hear that splash signing. I feel the same way.

I agree as well on the team building. It makes me wonder if there are any clubhouse disagreements on these personnel decisions. Gaine seems to be taking a very long-term approach, that like you said, is the preferred method if someone drafts well. Gaine is newer in the role as well so probably has a longer leash and looking more long-term. BOB has to be wondering about his job unless Cal McNair has some sort of understanding with BOB that we are looking long-term even if it means a step back this year. It might explain why BOB was given a multi-year extension last year at the same time as when Gaine was hired despite mediocre results.

Still frustrating as a fan, if they had made at least one move at O'line I think I'd feel more confident in their plans. The casual fans and internet pundits are crucifying these moves, although I think it's mostly bellyaching. For instance, read one article talking about how stupid we were to not even offer kareem an extension. Dude absolutely sucked in coverage, I don't care how elite PFF graded him against the run. He is known for having career season in contract years and then falling back to middle of the pack, I think Denver will regret signing him.

 

[dhockster]

Right, it's an issue. But wasn't a money issue.

I wonder if BOB thinks he can get away with a bunch of mid-tier offensive linemen like New England has for so long.  Where I think the presence of Brady had a lot to do with that, but also I think some of was scheme adjustments and coaching. He probably feels he can do the latter part at least, if I had to guess.

I think he thinks exactly that. He just doesn't have Scarnecchia as an oline coach. 

 

[GregR]

TE Darren Fells signed to a 1 year deal today.

 

[GregR]

Ryan Griffin could be cut now and save $2.7m on the cap.

Texans also have tackle Jordan Mills and quarterback A.J. McCarron visiting today.  Mills was a 3 year starter for the Bills, so there's the Gaine angle there.  Also reportedly showing interest in OT Donald Penn.

 

[GregR]

Texans sign QB McCarron to back up Watson

The Texans on Tuesday signed quarterback AJ McCarron to a one-year, $3 million deal, a source confirmed to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

 

[GregR]

Texans signed OT Matt Kalil to a 1-year contract a couple of days ago, but I still haven't seen contract details.

He was released by Carolina after missing 2018 with an injury. Following the earlier noticed theme of our signings, since he was released rather than having his contract expire, he shouldn't detract from our compensatory picks, I don't believe.

 

[Buckna]

Was wondering if they would take a look at Kalil or Donald Penn since both were cuts. Penn is a lot older but seems more likely to actually start and be decent than Kalil. Maybe they are seeing Kalil as a bridge for a rookie and/or potential depth.

 

[GregR]

Kalil's contract:  1 year.  $2.25m signing bonus, $2m roster bonus, $3.25m salary = $7.5m total.

ETA: Apparently a lot of the base salary is dependent on being healthy.  The Chronicle's numbers aren't consistent with themselves, but it sounds like maybe $2m of his base salary depends on being healthy, spread out at $125k per game.

 

[GregR]

Right now we probably stand to gain a 3rd round compensatory pick for Mathieu, and a pair of 7ths for Kendall Lamm and Christian Covington.   The 4th we would have got for Kareem was canceled out by Roby.  Our other signings were cut players rather than free agents so don't take away from compensatory picks.  No one else in the AFC South is in line for Compensatory Picks so far this off-season.

 

[GregR]

Blue signed with the Jaguars. Not sure the details. Hopefully it's enough to net us another late pick.

 

[dhockster]

Andre Hal is retiring. Another hole (Backup hole) to fill in the secondary.

 

[Buckna]

Well poo. Amazing story for him to come back, he looked good in a half season too. Supposedly it is not health related so that's good news for him that the cancer hasn't come back.

So maybe we can trade one of those seconds for multiple picks either this year or next since we clearly can't address every hole. A fan can dream I guess.

 

[GregR]

Call in on the radio today:  "Blue had better start on his way to Jacksonville now. It'll take a long time to get there two yards at a time."

 

[dhockster]

So with Lawrence signing his deal, I think that sets a bar for what the Texans should offer Clowney. Lawrence has averaged 11 sacks, 59 tackles with 14 tackles for loss in his 3 best seasons. Clowney has averaged 8 sacks, 52 tackles with 17 tackles for loss in his 3 best seasons. Both have some injury concerns. I think the Texans should offer Clowney a deal similar to Lawrence if they want to keep him long term. Otherwise Franchise him and be prepared to franchise him again if you want to keep him past this year. I think signing  him to a long term deal allows you to manage your cap over time better than the other way.

 

[GregR]

Sarah BarshopESPN Staff Writer 

The Texans will play the Jaguars in London in Week 9 (Sunday, Nov. 3). The game will be played at Wembley Stadium and kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. CT. This is the Texans' first game in London.

 

[Buckna]

Oof, 7:30am for me. But at least I will be able to watch it at home instead of in a bar, save me a little

 

[GregR]

Does anyone think we should trade up for a Tackle, assuming you have to trade up to like 12-15 to get one?  Or do you think we should stay put (or even trade down) and if need be get tackles later?

I'm not a big fan of giving up what it would take to move up.

 

[Buckna]

Does anyone think we should trade up for a Tackle, assuming you have to trade up to like 12-15 to get one?  Or do you think we should stay put (or even trade down) and if need be get tackles later?

I'm not a big fan of giving up what it would take to move up.

Same here, gonna cost too much to move up and we have too many holes. I'd rather see a trade down than a move up, hopefully pick up an extra 2nd or 3rd and a future 2nd or 3rd. Go the Patriot route constantly stocking up on more and more picks. You move down, spend two picks on tackles and hope one turns out. Spend the leftover 2nd and the extra pick you picked up on a corner and safety. Round out the selections with an interior pass rusher or interior lineman. Be sitting on an extra pick in the 2nd or 3rd in 2020.

Kind of feels like the year we took Duane Brown, they traded down and got a guy most were scratching their head on. Then he turned out to be a great LT. My guess is a move down late in the 1st and then draft somebody like Greg Little who has gone down in many peoples eyes after the combine.

If we do trade up, oh well, we'll see what they spend and who they get before judging.

 

[Jayded]

I’m especially curious what Chris Harris would cost the Texans if he were to be traded. I’d be very interested if it were a 3rd. 

Assuming we were to plug the CB hole in a trade like that, I think we have to keep all of our picks and gain the luxury of being able to go heavy on one position if we do choose. 

I’d be in favor of staying put and drafting Chris Lindstrom at 23 and then with our 2nd round grabbing another OL and BPA of  RB/WR. 

Something like Lindstrom - McGary or Risner - Montgomery or AJ Brown or Paris Campbell - Harris Jr (trade) would be a great great start. 

 

[dhockster]

I would like to see the Texans trade their #1 for Patrick Peterson if the Cardinals are willing to do that. If they could get that done, I will have a much better feeling about Brian Gaine.

 

[GregR]

Would have liked them to have Dillard as an option at their pick.  Kind of tough when someone jumps right ahead of you like that though. You hate to trade to the team 1 spot ahead of you to forestall that as that lays the groundwork for other teams to smokescreen you in the future that someone's trying to trade ahead of you.  Short of moving up earlier (and it sounded like they might have tried to) not a lot you can do in that situation. Why it's better if you're not drafting to fill such a huge hole where everyone can tell who you'll take.

I normally take a wait and see approach with most picks. Seems like trading down and getting Howard might have still been possible, but that requires someone else willing to trade up. Have to hope he turns out like Duane Brown and is far better than the 2nd round grade the analysts had both Brown and Howard as before being taken in the 1st.

 

[Major]

Would have liked them to have Dillard as an option at their pick.  Kind of tough when someone jumps right ahead of you like that though. You hate to trade to the team 1 spot ahead of you to forestall that as that lays the groundwork for other teams to smokescreen you in the future that someone's trying to trade ahead of you.  Short of moving up earlier (and it sounded like they might have tried to) not a lot you can do in that situation. Why it's better if you're not drafting to fill such a huge hole where everyone can tell who you'll take.

I normally take a wait and see approach with most picks. Seems like trading down and getting Howard might have still been possible, but that requires someone else willing to trade up. Have to hope he turns out like Duane Brown and is far better than the 2nd round grade the analysts had both Brown and Howard as before being taken in the 1st.

After seeing what the pick ahead of us was worth, I wish something along those lines had been an option.  I hate leaving value on the table.  I really hope Gaine knows what he's doing in these later rounds - the franchise can't afford more Rick Smith type busts. 

 

[Buckna]

Ok with Howard, he wasn’t going to be there much longer despite the knee jerk reactions from the uninformed masses. The teams that traded down after us traded out of the 1st and some got very little compensation to do so, I would have preferred a move like Colts picking up a future 2nd but sometimes you take the guy you want and don’t worry about squeezing out a bit of extra value if there’s someone you really like on the board. Hoping we grab another OT today with one of our 3 picks though.

 

[Jayded]

Not a fan of this draft thus far. I know we’ll have to wait and see but there are far too many “prospect” players already on the roster let alone in this draft.  Couple that with a very conservative offseason and the team really hasn’t moved the needle much. 

Meanwhile, we’ve seen some big moves in our division even. The Colts may start to separate and Jacksonville has had a good offseason and draft thus far. It’s a pretty disappointing position to be in thus far and I’m hoping Gaine proves me wrong. 

 

[Buckna]

I hate the Akins pick, feels like they panicked after the better TE’s went early. At his age just seems like a waste of a 3rd,

Whelp, spending a 3rd on another TE already. 

Like that they went tackle again, and we obviously needed a corner. Hopefully these guys pan out, their full of upside potential which is the Texans favorite thing in the world when it comes to drafting guys. Ho hum draft.

 

[dhockster]

I would feel better about the Texans having a bunch of project olineman with big upside if they had a track record of developing olineman. They don’t.

 

[Major]

Not a fan of this draft thus far. I know we’ll have to wait and see but there are far too many “prospect” players already on the roster let alone in this draft.  Couple that with a very conservative offseason and the team really hasn’t moved the needle much. 

Meanwhile, we’ve seen some big moves in our division even. The Colts may start to separate and Jacksonville has had a good offseason and draft thus far. It’s a pretty disappointing position to be in thus far and I’m hoping Gaine proves me wrong. 

Yeah, definitely underwhelming draft thus far.  I watch how teams like the Patriots move and it just seems like we're playing checkers.  

 

[GregR]

Yes, felt like other than the CB we were taking players that the evaluators we have access to had being lower ranked.  Tend to prefer seeing them get guys who have slid a little compared to where they were expected, like Justin Reid.

Nothing we can do but wait and see at this point.  We actually did have a decent history of developing O-line under Kubiak (B Brooks 3rd, B. Jones 4th, D. Newton 5th) but not so much since.

 

[GregR]

Houston Texans tight end Ryan Griffin has been arrested in Nashville, Tennessee, on charges of vandalism and public intoxication, according to online court records.

According to multiple reports, Griffin allegedly punched a hotel window on Friday night in Nashville, where the NFL draft is being held this weekend. Police said Griffin was “disorderly” and that his left hand was bleeding.

 

[Jayded]

Yup, I was talking with a friend and trying to find an apt comparison and the best fantasy analogy is that the Texans front office always seems to draft like the guy in your fantasy draft who picked Gronk in the first round. In the right year, you might look like a genius, but more often than not you're going to regret it and your whole draft starts to feel like reaching and making up for that off-kilter start.

Seeing the first round play out like it did, the Howard pick felt like the Xavier Su'a-Filo pick back in 2014 (Crud we wanted Bridgewater, but well we need an OL so let's pick this guy : Wait Dillard is gone, who's the next OT on the list?)

I wish they'd just read the board and picked their top CB at that point or, even better, traded back and tried to recover a 3rd or 4th. If they've have traded down, I'd have loved to see them grab that CB (Greedy Williams?) and then be able to look up and then grab Howard if he fell or Risner/Taylor/Ford if not. Without a 4th round pick, there was a guy who'd slid there too in Julian Love (received a 2nd round grade) that'd have been nice to go up and grab.

 

[GregR]

After the drafted ended with the last four rounds on Saturday, the Texans agreed to contracts with 20 undrafted free agents.

The seven offensive players agreeing were Michigan running back Karan Higdon, Oklahoma State receiver Tyron Johnson, North Carolina State receiver Stephen Louis, Missouri running back Damarea Crockett, Rhodes College center D.J. Coker, Ohio State receiver Johnnie Dixon and Ohio State guard Malcolm Pridgeon.

The 13 defensive players who agreed were Baylor end Ira Lewis, Kentucky cornerback Derrick Baity, Colorado nose tackle Javi Edwards, Colorado inside linebacker Drew Lewis, Maryland outside linebacker Jesse Aniebonum, Alabama end Johnny Dwight, Akron outside linebacker Jamal Davis, North Carolina State inside linebacker Dexter Wright, Missouri nose tackle Walter Palmore, Clemson end Albert Huggins, North Alabama safety Chris Johnson, Appalachian State safety Austin Exford and Georgia State inside linebacker Chase Middleton.

WR Dixon and DE Huggins were mentioned elsewhere for the amount of guaranteed money they got, so I'd imagine they were priorities for the Texans.

 

[GregR]

Free agents signed from here on out do not impact the compensatory pick calculations.  So if they have anyone else they are looking to sign, it may start happening now.

 

[Buckna]

We had a punter in to visit yesterday! :confetti:

 

[GregR]

OLB Duke Ejiofor on injured reserve with a torn Achilles.

 

[GregR]

Source: Texans release TE Griffin after April arrest

TE Kahale Warring has had good things said about him in the first rookie session.

 

[GregR]

This is a week old, but we signed RB Taiwan Jones.

 

[dhockster]

Trent Williams is wanting to be traded out of Washington because of how their medical staff has treated him.

Getting Trent Williams makes total sense for the Texans: He will help their offensive line immediately, he will let their two rookie tackles develop at their own pace rather then forcing them to start if they are not ready, Desean Watson will be better protected, the Texans have cap room available if they do need to sweeten his contract, and he fits into the win now window which they are in with where JJ Watt and DeAndre Hopkins are in their careers.

If the Texans don't make a play for Williams, then Brian Gaine does not know what he is doing.

 

[Buckna]

I don't think the Redskins are willing to trade Williams as they have absolutely nothing behind him and due to that and the time of the year it would take a sizable package to get them to part with him IMO. If they can't make amends before the season starts, I don't see the Redskins caving unless he makes good on his holdout threat most of the way into the season like Duane Brown did.

I am more disappointed they didn't try for Gerald McCoy, he got a cheap 1 year prove it deal, wouldn't have counted against comp picks, and could have addressed our interior pass rush concerns.

 

[dhockster]

Obviously, a trade can't happen if the Redskins aren't willing to deal or a deal shouldn't happen if the Redskins ask for too much, but I want to at least hear that Gaine made an effort to get Williams if a trade doesn't happen. 

I am an also an Eagles fan, and they are a perfect example of what getting an anchor tackle can do for your team: in 2000, they signed Jon Runyon as a FA tackle who was a second team all-pro for Tennessee in 1999. From 2000 to 2008 Runyon did not miss a game, was a pro bowler in 2002, and was a very good RT for their team. In 2009, the Eagles did not re-sign Runyon, but they did trade for Jason Peters who was an 2 time pro bowler left tackle with Buffalo. Peters has been a first team all pro player with the Eagles twice and has helped anchor the line for 10 years. The Eagles record during those 19 years? 181-122-1, 13 winning seasons, 12 playoff teams, 6 conference championship games, 2 Super Bowls, and 1 championship.

An anchor tackle makes building a good line a lot easier.

 

[dhockster]

I don't think the Redskins are willing to trade Williams as they have absolutely nothing behind him and due to that and the time of the year it would take a sizable package to get them to part with him IMO. If they can't make amends before the season starts, I don't see the Redskins caving unless he makes good on his holdout threat most of the way into the season like Duane Brown did.

I am more disappointed they didn't try for Gerald McCoy, he got a cheap 1 year prove it deal, wouldn't have counted against comp picks, and could have addressed our interior pass rush concerns.

Agree that the Redskins may not be willing to deal him. Also agree that the Texans should have gone after McCoy. What is the point of having a lot of cap space especially when you are in a win-now window, which is what the Texans are in with the age of Watt and Hopkins? And like you said he signed a 1 year deal which doesn't really have significant long term cap ramifications.

 

[Jayded]

Gaine is now out. I wonder what really motivated this given the timing but with what we saw from the draft it isn’t overly disappointing. 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/26922175/texans-fire-gm-brian-gaine-one-season

 

[Buckna]

So not even 6 weeks ago the assistant GM and the entire scouting staff are canned days after draft. Gaine is now canned at the worst possible time to find a replacement or when a replacement could come in and do any good. And yet BOB remains, wasn’t he the one who signed off on Gaine in the first place?

Han: “I got a bad feeling about this...”

 

[Major]

Now the Pats charge the Texans with tampering.  Can't these guys do anything right?  This front office is a mess and a major reason why the Texans continue to fail.  This off season was a disaster and the team doesn't seem to show any improvement (I'd say they look worse).  Its a shame b/c Watson's rookie contract will soon be up and guys like Watt don't have many years left    

 

[GregR]

So I guess summary...   

Pats file tampering charges. 
Texans request through NFL for interview. 
NFL replies his contract doesn't allow him to talk to other teams. 
Pats withdraw tampering charge.

Heard on radio:

Q: "Why didn't Texans know about that term in his contract?"    A: "Because they aren't allowed to see contracts for other team's executives." 
Q: "Why didn't he or his agent just tell them about that part of his contract?"   A: "Because having such a conversation would have been tampering."
Q: "Why'd they file tampering charges?"  A: "Tampering goes on all the time. Teams usually file charges to make a point."
Q: "Why'd they drop them?"   A: "Either figured they wouldn't get anything  from them, or didn't want to ruin relationship once they realized they wouldn't lose him."

 

[BoltBacker]

I wonder what pick it would have taken. Maybe a 6th? Couldn't be higher than a day 3 pick. If this really was a guy they wanted for more than a year I would think they would grin and bear it. The last GM selected a 4th rounder in the first round because Philly jumped in front of them and apparently he completely panicked. I think they may be stepping over a dollar to save a dime.

Wasn't it a rule that if a guy had a chance for a higher job he was allowed to pursue it? Or is that an unwritten rule? 

 

[Jayded]

So with Foreman now gone, we’re missing a #2 or a bruiser now that Blue is also on the team. 

I know we don’t have a GM but hopefully someone is keeping an eye on the situation with a lens towards the future. While a bruiser would probably better compliment Miller, I would bet someone like Duke Johnson wouldn’t cost a lot and at least bring another vet into the building to help stabilize the position. 

The Texans aren’t craft enough for this to be a sign of something bigger (Gordon) but I’ll happily eat crow we’re we able to pull something bigger off.