I will be impressed if they retain Kendrick Lewis after signing Rahim Moore. That will really help the depth at safety, keep D.J. Swearinger off the field more in passing situations (hopefully). Might mean the end of Danieal Manning in Houston.

So next up will be a decision from Wilfork on where he wants to play. Also interested to see if the team makes any moves at WR... glad they passed up Eddie Royal at what the Bears paid, though Cecil Shorts for similar dough would be good to me. Stevie Johnson also available now... might be a good option when paired with someone from the draft.

And I guess the team is satisfied with Ben Jones as the starting center? Not sure I would be.

Hasn't been a real 'splashy' offseason for the Texans, but extremely effective so far... I'm a fan of it.

I'm wondering who they think the OLBs are going to be.

No doubt. Which is why anyone still clamoring that WR is the top need is forgetting that neither Clowney nor Reed may be starting in week 1. Mercilus is nearing the end of his rookie contract, too.

I hope this means good things about Clowney's progress, but I have been a fan of this team too long to be anywhere near that optimistic.

In unrelated news, the Jets have apparently expressed interest in Cecil Shorts.

Happy to sign Rahim Moore, he is a Centerfielder-type Safety, not a small linebacker-type.

As for OLB....Beason, Fowler, Gregory, and Dupree should all be off the board before our first pick in the draft. After those guys, 5he drop-off is pretty significant. So, the value is most likely WR in the likes of Cooper, White, Parker, or Strong. So, the decision may come down to Jaelen Strong > Eli Harold. Danielle Hunter has the workout numbers that were impressive, but not much production at LSU. My "sleeper-value pick" is Anthony Chickillo, who may be a 3rd rounder, but I would even consider the 2nd round.

I am not much of a fan of this Safety class, which makes the R. Moore signing even more important. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the ILB candidates in this draft either, so I was hopeful that someone could be signed with better coverage skills and a better health history than Brian Cushing.

I'd be okay with investing a second on McKinney or Perryman as ILBs if either is available.

Overall, I'm still waiting for the DT hole to be filled and a few other spots. I'm trying to hold off evaluating until I see how they were able to manage the cap and spread the wealth from letting go of Johnson and Myers.

Some ability to spend money is still there too... there is $8.5 million in JJoseph's base just dying to be addressed. And I can't imagine the Texans believe that Garrett Graham will play up to the $3 million base he still has. Considering the Ravens just lost Owen Daniels, and considering that Kubiak might want someone there for when Daniels need a breather, he has to have some market value as a late day pick.

Ideally, the team addresses needs at OLB, DT, WR, and ILB (& center?) before the draft so they can just go after value with every pick. They're in a good spot still to accomplish these goals. Way better position than they were in a year ago.

Apparently the Texans have their sights set higher... At least ceiling/potential wise. Inquired Vikes about Patterson.

http://hou.scout.com/story/1526785-t...atterson?s=116

Lol, now the Texans are stealing my moves in dynasty. :o Young, depressed value, huge upside.

Patterson seemed on the brink of superstardom in training camp last year. Then the wheels fell off. Apparently he is MUD spelled backwards.


I'm all for it. And actually, adding Cordarelle shouldn't preclude going after a slot like Shorts imo.

Shorts would be a serious upgrade in the slot. As far as CPat, apparently he's not available. But the Texans even inquiring about him is very interesting. Supposedly Stills is available for trade. Not sure why the Saints would want to give up a young, cheap starting-caliber player, but if he's not a complete ass and locker room cancer, I'd certainly call them and ask what they want in return. I'd also make a contract offer to RFA WR Andre Holmes (no pick compensation required).

I don't get the fascination with Shorts.

Just think he's a lot better than anything we have now and has the potential to develop into a really good slot guy. He was pretty good before he got injured and carried a pretty crappy Jags O there for awhile. I certainly wouldn't overpay for him. Only on the cheap.

It's a depressed value, low-cost gamble on a 27-yr old player entering his prime. Shorts is a guy from a small school, 4th round pick, buried on a team far worse than the Texans. He has posted unspectacular numbers (10.5 YPC & 1 TD in 2014, both career lows) while catching passes from a series of rookies and scrubs.

He has measurables of a potential slot receiver on an offense where he does not need to be the focus. A middling 40 time and lack of breakaway speed keep his cost low. But he ran a 6.50 3-cone and a 4.07 shuttle while lifting 21 reps at the combine in 2011... elements of a strong player with some short-area quickness.

The real downside, apart from his lack of stellar #s while catching passes from golden arms like Blaine Gabbert, is that he hasn't played more than 13 games in a season in his first four years.

I guess everyone is convinced Shorts will really flourish when he gets a chance to play with the Texans' QBs?

I really don't want to fill holes. This team is going nowhere this year. Accumulate talent. Draft BPA. Finish clearing the books of the regime change victims. Find out if Mallet can play. We should not tie up $1 of 2016 or beyond money in the name of signing veterans who might help us win that 10th game this year.

The Texans are not filling a 53-man roster with 53 1st round picks. All teams fill holes. And Shorts in particular is 27... I believe anyone the team would be signing (including Wilfork) would be doing it for more than just the 2015 season.

Anyone care to guess what Wes Welker looked like after the 2006 season, his last in Miami (led by Joey Harrington at QB)? Pedestrian speed and build, he was 26 years old and averaged 10.3 YPC with 1 TD in his final season with the Dolphins.

I am not suggesting Shorts is even half the player Welker was, or that the Texans have Tom Brady ready to throw him passes, but the point is there are underrated, affordable players out there who would fulfill secondary roles and thrive in the right opportunity.

I highly doubt anyone at Kirby is operating with this philosophy. At least I hope not. I sure hope they're trying to upgrade at every conceivable spot they can, when they can, without killing the cap/future - regardless if they're doing it via the draft or FA. How do you find out if Mallett can play or be successful if you don't improve the talent around him (soon)? The Texans were already looking at Hartline. I'd rather take a flyer on Shorts over Hartline if the price is the same and he's affordable and without doing a stupid contract. I'd rather have Shorts in the slot over Martin or Johnson. Shoot, I'd almost take anyone in the slot over those two guys.

Another slot guy I hope they take a long look at during camp is Alan Bonner. Pretty sure he's still on the roster.

Free Agency is a racket. Out of every 100 URFA who sign about 10 will live up to their contracts and very few will exceed them. Unless you are a destination that players want to be at you have almost no chance at getting good deals because the Oaklands and Jacksonvilles of the world flood the marketplace with terrible contracts because they have money and nothing to do with it. This just isn't the time to build a roster. It's the time to finish one. And we are far from finished. The kind of smart bargain shopping you guys are talking about happens after the FA push is done and veterans spend a few weeks with no contract and no bidder.

And Welker did not leave Miami as a no name FA who could be had for a little contract. He left for a 2nd round pick. So if your argument is that we should be sending out 2nd rounders on unproven players because it worked in 2006, then I disagree. If your logic is we should sign a FA like 2006 Wes Welker, that FA never existed. The only time Wes Welker was ever an URFA it was as an old, overpaid, slot guy with concussion issues who signed with Denver.

Everybody gets excited about FA, but about 30 teams come out with buyer's remorse every year and end up cutting the guys they signed and carrying the dead money before the contracts ever end. Who is the best FA the Texans ever signed? Jonathon Joseph I guess? What's that make them? 1 for 10? 1 for 20?

Let me put it this way, when is the last time a non-playoff team successfully used FA as a significant part of building a roster?

Interesting part of the Cordarrelle Patterson inquiry was that he's also a kickoff return guy and a pretty good one. Got a feeling the Texans are making more of an effort to upgrade the return game....

re: Shorts, gotta say he always looks great when the Jags play the Texans....

Off the top of my head, Anthony Smith and Daniel Manning (the first go-round) were upgrades.

Why limit it to non-playoff teams? Your question makes it sound like FA is not worth participating in. It's an opportunity to bolster your roster. On paper, don't the Colts look really smart for picking up AJ and Gore?

You're limiting this to non-playoff teams, as the Texans failed to make the playoffs with minutes remaining in the 4th quarter of the final regular season game last year, ok. And I'm sure your definition of 'success' will get far more restrictive after reading this post. So how about I limit it further to players other non-playoff teams have acquired from just the Texans in recent years to significantly build a roster?

Here's three off the top of my head: Mario Williams (Bills), Glover Quin (Lions), Connor Barwin (Eagles).

You're talking as if we want them to rush out and sign Shorts to some lucrative, cap-strapping deal. That's not the case at all, and I think it's pretty clear we both said only if he's cheap. If not him, then someone. I just don't think it's wise to go into the season hoping to get an answer on the QB situation (hopefully, Mallett) with KMart/DJ/Bonner as a starter. We already know they're below average. And that doesn't even factor in the unknown we have at the other outside WR position. Totally agree they should draft a WR somewhere along the line, though. Maybe two.

Here are a few more guys I'd look at or inquire about for the slot: Chris Givens, Quinton Patton, Denarius Moore (FA). They'd currently have to give up a pick for either Givens or Patton, but it wouldn't bother me at all giving up that condition pick from the Jets for one of those guys. Vincent Brown might be worth a look on an extremely cheap 1-yr prove it deal.

Like I said, it is a chance to finish your roster. I am betting that the AJ and Gore deals hurt far more than they help in 2017, since there is little chance either is on the roster but their dead money will be. So Indy is betting that they can win this year with those veterans. I mention non-playoff teams because in FA some players will take marginally less to sign with a contender. The Patriots are enough of a destination that they signed veterans last year without sacrificing any cap space. Of course they did that with big one year deals (Revis, Browner) that were only possible because they haven't signed too many dumb FAs in the past (Amendola is the only one I can think of to get long term money in FA from them).

We are not a contender and we are not a player or two away. Thus any deal that adds a half a win this year at the expense of a quarter of a win in 2016 and beyond is a bad deal.

As for signing cheap vets and unearthing hidden talents, the opportunity for that comes in a few weeks when guys have no jobs and sign short term deals with low guarantees. Right now all these guys are still waiting to get overpaid. Honestly we got more out of camp cuts and waiver wire guys last year than we did FA. I am glad we are mostly staying out of the FA market to this point.

Draft a guy. Sign a guy in a few weeks when there is no bidding or competition. Draft another guy. Let what we have fight it out in camp. But Cecil Shorts on a 1st week of FA deal is not something I want any part of.

Perryman is too small/slow for my tastes. I have McKinney as a possible 3rd round pick because of better players over him, but due to the Need of the Texans and the lack of Supply in this draft, I wouldn't blame them for taking him with their second round pick. The best "Value" in the draft at that position would be Ben Heeney of Kansas. Assuming he lasts until the 5th round.

I doubt anyone is arguing with you on this, as well as your point that UFA is a fools' crapshoot.

And aside from the Jets (who are a probable cluster***k thanks in part I'm sure to hiring a former Texans front office exec), 31 other teams agree with you that Shorts is not a 1st week of FA-type player either. I'll agree with that too... I just think that he tops the list of FA options for upgrading that slot position.

I'm all for drafting a WR, particularly a slot WR, with a non-1st round pick/likely middle round pick in the draft, a similar spot from which Shorts was taken four years ago. But that wouldn't preclude a team like the Texans from signing a vet. Mallett needs an upgrade from the undrafted 4th year player in Damaris Johnson who didn't really seem all that much better than Keyshawn Martin. Surprised the team gave Damaris what they did.


BTW - I have done little to none in terms of moderating these offseason threads. If y'all are cool with keeping this catch-all thread, then we'll just keep adding to it.

@RapSheet 7m7 minutes ago
When the #Dolphins traded for Kenny Stills, WR Mike Wallace went on the trading blocks. They’ve explored this option before, doing it now.

Well, good. Glad we'll only have to put up with AJ and Gore on the Colts for two years....

As far as the Texans not being a contender this year, they came awfully close to playoffs last year. I expect them to do better this year. Maybe a quality QB could have made the difference last year and a quality QB would be one person. If the Mallet-in-the-Cleveland-game shows up for 75% of the games, I do believe we will contend....

Obviously, little quality at QB in FA this year - we picked up Hoyer - we'll see how that goes.

Hoyer and Rahim Moore, am I missing anybody? Moore is a nice add, IMO....

Well, the Vikings just picked up Mike Wallace in a trade as minutes earlier Jason LaCanfora reported from Cordarelle Patterson's agent that his client isn't being shopped in a trade.

Maybe where there's smoke... because if the Texans were interested before, perhaps Patterson suddenly just became a bit more available...

Man, this one crazy offseason with all the trades. Love it!!

The WRs under contract:

DeAndre Hopkins: Emerging star who'll get to chance to show he's the true #1.
Damaris Johnson: Entering the last year of his contract. Filled a hole last year.
Keshawn Martin: Entering the last year of his contract. Meh.
DeVier Posey: Entering the last year of his contract. I still like him but he suited up for one more game than I did last year so it's tough to get too excited.
Alan Bonner: On IR last year, which surprised me because I thought he was one of the former draft choices cut last summer.
Jace Davis: Former Raven practice squadder; longshot to make the team.
Travis Labhart: Former practice squadder; longshot to make the team.
EZ Nwachukwu: Former practice squadder; longshot to make the team.

I'd say WR is a position of need.

Oh, PATTERSON.... Flash reading I thought the Texans inquired the Vikes about PETERSON. :confused:

This makes more sense - especially if he'll return kicks. What would the ViQueens want in return? Our first-rounder and...?

FWIW, there was number-crunching site that claimed Cecil Shorts was the NFL's worst receiver last year in terms of value-per-target. Oh, the second worst was Andre Johnson.

I will admit that I wanted to draft Corderelle Patterson when he came out of Tennessee. He looked to have the size and speed of a true #1 WR. With this year's 1st round pick I am wishing Amari Cooper, Kevin White, or Devante Parker; but they could be off the board by the time we select leaving the option of Jaelen Strong. So, if Minnesota wants a 1st for Patterson, I might have to consider it. Perhaps it could be a draft day trade and we can see who's available. Regardless, I still would like to draft Phillip Dorsett or Tyler Lockett in the 3rd.

Patterson lost his starting role last year , apparently he couldn't run a route over 5 yds. Had not that many catches or yards. Coach says not in doghouse. Hmm.

not sure that says worth no 1 pick.

Patterson had 33 catches last year. ..that's close to the 40 O'Brien's Offense was offering to Andre Johnson next season. ;)

Just checking Texans cap space on sportrac, with 10 mil dead money and 5 mil reserved for draft picks, appears to leave 5 mil in cap space as roster sits right now.

And really ought to hold 3 mil back for injuries during the season, so only 2 mil for spending at the moment.

So if pick up Wolfork that would about wipe out flexibility after that. Perhaps, maybe.

Or if trade for Patterson also uses up cap space.

I think I'd go with philosophy of wait a while in FA period. Plenty time. Don't go into cap space hindered right now.

No way I'd give up a #1 for CPat. #2 maybe, but I'd shoot for a #3. The Vikes would probably want more, but that's what I'd shoot for. Maybe kick in a conditional 2016 pick.

Roy P is suddenly going full Casserly on us. Hey, Roy, let's throw in a second, you know, sweeten the pot a little.