Ultimately, some of this reads like commentary. There is a family tradition where we play golf and a poker game every year. On a few occasions, someone has placed a certain part of the male anatomy on the table to cover a wager. Obviously, that is hyperbole when it is done and done for simply a series of laughs, but this is one of those moments when an NFL general manager placed a proverbial body part on the table to cover a wager where he is potentially light.
So, essentially, that means the Texans just traded a 2027 second round pick for Marvin Harrison Jr. He is in the third year of a four year rookie deal with the fifth year option for first rounders. Let’s ignore for a moment what his current numbers are. This deal brings forth two distinct questions that every Texans fan has to grapple with now that the Texans are 1-4.
First, are you one football player away from being a playoff team? It is a fair question. Two teams in NFL history have come from 0-4 to make it to the playoffs. The San Diego Chargers were the last to di it and they aren’t even in San Diego anymore. Perhaps the 17th game changes the calculus on that some. Perhaps they are looking at the middle of their schedule and hoping they can get back to around .500 before the tough stretch to close the season. Perhaps, getting the Marvin Harrison that the Cardinals thought they were getting would unlock that.
The second question is whether wide receiver was the player they needed to make that jump. Let’s ignore whether it is THIS wide receiver that was needed. You could make credible arguments for an upgrade on the offensive line, maybe a better running back, or maybe someone to shore up your linebacking core. Then, there are the questions about Harrison himself. Even ignoring this season, he hasn’t been the number one wide receiver everyone thought he would be.
From a value standpoint, this one is a risk. If Harrison turns into another Tee Higgins (1B to Nico Collins 1A) then the Houston offense could be transformed into something different than what we have seen. We need to keep in mind that Jayden Higgins was a second round pick and that kind of performance would be far and above what Higgins did last season and was likely to do this season. Still, we haven’t seen it yet and it remains to be seen whether Nick Caley is the play caller to bring that out of him.
Stepping away from it all and you have to wonder what this means for Nick Caserio. Caserio was on track to get another go at it next season even if the club misses the playoffs. When you make it the postseason three years in a row then you get that mulligan on spec. This deal changes that. If it goes well then he probably extends his time in Houston another season or two. If it blows up in his face he could have just put himself on the hot seat. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.
