Welcome to the first post-Combine mailbag of the offseason. I just returned from my first trip to the NFL’s annual talent evaluation summit, and I learned that, during this week, Indianapolis never really closes. After workouts, meetings and press conferences finish for the day, some agents, reporters, coaches and executives convene in steakhouses and hotel bars, sometimes ’til sunrise, and then they do so again the next day. And the next day.
Advertisement
I also learned more about the Texans’ offseason plans while at the Combine, so I’m prepared to answer the great questions The Athletic subscribers left for our second Texans mailbag of the offseason. Thanks to everyone who submitted one. Let’s dig in.
Do you think the Texans will target any free agent tackles/offensive linemen or secondary help? Or will they address these questions in the Draft? Who do you see as a fit for the Texans in the free agent market? — Chris S.
Don’t expect the Texans to pursue a starting tackle in free agency. Houston general manager Brian Gaine and coach Bill O’Brien have been clear that they don’t think rebuilding their line through free agency is the best course of action, and Gaine doesn’t much like this year’s class of free-agent tackles. Trent Brown is the top tackle available, and although he’s solid, he’s likely to be overpaid because of the underwhelming alternatives to him on the market. The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia didn’t even rank an offensive lineman in the top 10 of his list of the 50 best upcoming free agents.
Signing a free agent interior lineman could be a possibility for the Texans, but again, O’Brien and Gaine would prefer to rebuild their line through the draft, and they seem high on Martinas Rankin’s chances to start inside, likely left guard, in his second year as a pro.
Secondary seems like an area that stands a much greater chance of receiving an infusion of talent through free agency. With Johnathan Joseph showing his age on the field and the odds of Kareem Jackson returning appearing unlikely (more on that later), Houston realistically could stand to have two new starting cornerbacks next season. The Texans shouldn’t trust those jobs entirely to rookies. Expect Houston to draft a corner in the early rounds but also pursue some of the top corners in free agency.
Advertisement
Unfortunately for the Texans, this year’s crop of free-agent cornerbacks isn’t very good either. Ronald Darby, 25, is arguably the top cornerback available, and while he’s strong in coverage, he’s missed 15 games the past two seasons and isn’t a great tackler. Still, he’s likely to get overpaid this offseason because of the other available options, including Bradley Roby and Steven Nelson. Roby and Nelson are starting-level corners, but neither has been a standout player. Still, they are both 26, which is more than four years younger than Jackson, and adding some of that youth alone would help upgrade Houston’s cornerback situation.
Who do you think are the best NFL ready offensive tackles that should be available when the Texans pick? My concern is that they draft another project like Xavier Su’a-Filo, a second-round pick in 2014, or Julién Davenport, a fourth-round pick in 2017. — Daryl L.
Gaine is high on the talent that should be available in the draft’s second round, so it’s possible Houston trades down to acquire even more picks than the two it already possesses in that round, but I don’t see Houston going any longer than that without taking an offensive lineman. And if Houston doesn’t trade down, it seems likely the Texans take an offensive lineman in the first round for just the second time in franchise history, rather than wait until the middle rounds.
Given that Gaine isn’t high on the available free agent tackles and Houston knows Julién Davenport can’t be its first option at left tackle again next season, the only way the Texans can feel good about their chance of drafting a starter-quality lineman is by utilizing a high draft pick (rounds one or two) on a blocker.
In a recent mock draft in which each of The Athletic’s beat writers picked for their teams, I selected Washington State offensive tackle Andre Dillard with the No. 23 pick, and I felt even better about that pick after Dillard was one of the standout players in Friday’s offensive linemen workouts at the combine.
Beyond Dillad, Ole Miss’ Greg Little and Florida’s Jawaan Taylor are other left tackles whom The Athletic’s Dane Brugler views as realistic candidates to go late in the first round.
If there aren’t any quality offensive linemen by the time the Texans pick in the first round, do you see them taking a corner or a guard in the first round? Are there players at either of those positions that have stood out to you so far? — Kyle H.
Of those two positions, corner seems like the one the Texans would be more likely to target in the first round if they didn’t select an offensive tackle. Gaine believes interior linemen are only worth selecting that early if they possess All-Pro potential, such as Indianapolis’ Quenton Nelson, who the Colts selected sixth overall last year. Plus, as Dane has written for The Athletic, this is a deep draft class of interior linemen, so there’s value to be had in later rounds.
Advertisement
This draft class also has a lot of cornerback talent, but historically teams are more willing to spend first-round picks on the position than they are on interior linemen. Given the needs of teams at the top of the draft, any of the most highly regarded corners in this draft class could be available to Houston at pick No. 23. That includes LSU’s Greedy Williams, Washington’s Byron Murphy and Georgia’s DeAndre Baker. All could be fits for Houston.
What are you hearing about D’Onta Foreman? — Victor E.
Gaine and O’Brien are still optimistic that the young running back can contribute to what they hope is more of a committee backfield next season, despite Foreman’s underwhelming second season as a pro, which ended with just two total yards on eight carries across two games.
O’Brien said at the combine that he does not think Foreman has lost any of his speed or cutting ability — both of which can fade when a player suffers an Achilles injury — and instead believes that Foreman simply struggled to find a rhythm within the offense because of how late he rejoined the team last season. His recovery took longer than expected, and he didn’t appear in a game until Week 16.
“All of that (ability) was there,” O’Brien said of Foreman. “It was just a matter of we were already 13, 14 games into the season. He hadn’t played a lot. Roles had kind of been determined at that position, and it was hard to find his niche back. That’s what he has to – he’ll begin to do that on April 15 (when NFL teams with returning head coaches may begin their offseason workout programs).”
Do you think the Texans should and/or will trade Whitney Mercilus before the draft? It’s nice to have him as insurance for a Clowney injury, but Duke Ejiofor can take that role as well, right? — Kunwar S.
I doubt the Texans will trade Mercilus, nor do I think they should. He’s entering the final year of his contract, so getting rid of him would only provide some temporary cap relief that Houston, already flush with cap space, doesn’t really need. Plus, while Mercilus struggled at times in a defensive scheme that didn’t always take proper advantage of his pass-rushing ability, we don’t have much proof that Ejiofor is ready to step up into a starting role. His playing time actually declined as his rookie year progressed. After playing more than 10 defensive snaps in all but one of his first seven careers games, he did so just once in his final five games of the regular season. So I don’t think the Texans can be comfortable handing over a starting spot to Ejiofor just yet, and they don’t need to.
Should the Texans go after Le’Veon Bell or Antonio Brown, and if so, what would be reasonable to give up for them? — Jennifer C.
They shouldn’t, and they won’t. Gaine said at the combine that he already has his starting running back in Lamar Miller, and Brown does not fit Houston’s locker room culture.
None of the Texans other star players — J.J. Watt, Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins and Clowney — is anywhere near as outspoken as Brown, who would present a headache O’Brien probably isn’t interested in dealing with next season. Plus, Brown has said he wants a new contract with more guaranteed money, and while Houston has cap space, tying some of it up in a deal with Brown while the Texans already have an arguably better receiver in Hopkins makes little sense.
Advertisement
I understand fans’ desire to add Bell, a sexy free agent who would be an upgrade over Miller, but giving big money to a running back is simply never smart. Houston would be better served improving its running game by upgrading the talent along its offensive line.
We keep talking about Kareem Jackson or Tyrann Mathieu at safety, but why not Landon Collins? — Kunwar S.
Good question, Kunwar. Collins is younger and would arguably be a talent upgrade over both men, but Jackson and Mathieu are both good safeties in their own rights, and the Texans value continuity, which is what probably makes re-signing Mathieu or Jackson a more attractive option to Gaine and O’Brien than pursuing Collins in free agency. Given the likelihood that Houston tries to upgrade the cornerback position, signing Collins would mean that the Texans could have an almost entirely new secondary, besides safety Justin Reid. I’m not sure that’s an option that interests Gaine and O’Brien.
As I wrote last week, it makes the most sense for Houston’s pursuit of Mathieu and Jackson to be an either-or situation. A league source said Jackson is pursuing deals to play safety, the same position Mathieu plays, and given Reid’s emergence as a rookie last season, there’s little need to re-sign both veterans.
When answering questions about Mathieu and Jackson at the combine, O’Brien seemed more passionate about re-signing the 26-year-old Mathieu, who is four years younger than Jackson.
I still don’t understand what really happened with Aaron Colvin at the end of last season. Was he never fully healthy? Did we really think Shareece Wright, etc., outperformed him? Was he not a great schematic fit — and if so, why give him so much money? Finally, do you think he has a real shot to contribute next year, or is his contract already dead weight (requiring us to possibly spend a high draft pick on CB this year)? — Joshua M.
Gaine indicated during his press conference at the combine that Colvin never fully settled in after suffering an ankle injury early in the season. Maybe Colvin rushed his return, which led to his underwhelming performances, or maybe the injury led to some sort of mental block that affected Colvin’s game. Regardless, by the end of the season, coaches seemed to have lost faith in him, and he was a healthy scratch for Houston’s playoff game. So yes, at least near the end of the season, Texans coaches did view Wright as an upgrade over Colvin, which is mostly hard to understand, other than that Wright sometimes defended receivers on the outside, which isn’t viewed as one of Colvin’s strengths.
As you mention, the Texans did give Colvin a big contract (four years, $34 million), and you don’t do that unless you really believe he fits your scheme. He has the skill set to be part of Romeo Crennel’s defense, but he needs to play at a higher level. He’s going to get a chance to do so again next season. Whether anything changes remains to be seen.
Colvin’s contract does look bad right now, but he’s not the primary reason Houston needs to pursue corners in the draft and in free agency. Beyond him, Joseph looked old and too slow to be relied on as a starter next season, and Jackson struggled at the position when he moved back from safety. In short, Colvin is just part of a larger problem for the Texans at cornerback.
(Top photo of Deshaun Watson and his offensive linemen by Tim Warner/Getty Images)