One of my esteemed colleagues calls this time of year the silly season. That name fits just about as much as anything else. In the NFL, there is very much a hurry up and wait mentality. Free agency opens in early March and most fans want their team to act now, now, now. We declare winners and losers before the first week of free agency is done and the ink has yet to dry on every contract.
The exercise is similar to fantasy sports in a lot of ways. People emphasize the draft and for good reason. It’s
like a shot of dopamine straight into your veins. Yet, as any good fantasy player (whether it be football, baseball, basketball, or I guess hockey) will tell you, the player that does best on the waiver wire is the one that usually wins. You find that hot rookie, surprise stud, or rejuvenated veteran and you wind up on top. Similarly, teams that find that diamond in the rough in April or May could do even better than the teams that make a big splash in March.
The Texans rarely ever make the big splash. Even this year, they did not bring in anyone that the pundits would consider the “it” free agent. They did bring in a number of solid players that should plug some holes. It leaves them in position to add depth in the secondary market and the draft. Now, when I say “secondary” market, I do not mean defensive backs. It is a term we give to the period after free agency winds down and usually takes place right before the draft or right after the draft.
The timing depends on what you are looking to do. Some teams want to solidify certain positions because they don’t think they have the draft capital to address it or they don’t like the prospects at that position in the draft. Some teams wait until after the draft when they were unwilling or unable to address something they thought they could. Either way, we are looking at a key position where depth is important.
It might seem foolish to look at defensive end as a position of need. The Texans arguably have the best defensive end tandem in football. Yet, what made the position so devastating was the presence of Denico Autry and Derek Barnett. They were able to give Will Anderson and Daniele Hunter a blow during the game, so they could have fresh legs in the fourth quarter when the game was on the line. At present, neither of those guys are on the roster. The Texans have added some depth pieces there, but none of the additions are likely to produce what Autry and Barnett produced. There are a few appealing options left.
Bring back a familiar face
One name that remains on the free agency list is former Texan J.D. Clowney. It’s hard to say how one should feel about Clowney in Houston. He was a number one overall pick and was supposed to be the Will Anderson to the Texans Daniele Hunter at the time J.J. Watt. Watt was better than Hunter, but Clowney came nowhere near the level of production that Anderson has brought. Aaron Donald was picked later in the same draft, so most Texans fans consider the pick a whiff.
Still, Clowney is still active and has been something of a journeyman for the last half decade. He is used to signing one year contracts and proving himself yet again. In this case, you are not asking him to be a star. You aren’t asking him to be a starter. You are asking him to play 20-30 snaps a game in key situations so Hunter and Anderson can take a break.
Obviously, there are some questions. The first question is why you didn’t do this sooner. The answer to that one is easy. Clowney is a premium name even if he doesn’t offer premium production. So, the calendar needed to flip to April or May before the cost meets the production. You might be able to afford him now and he might be willing to listen where he was holding out for starting positions before.
The second question is whether he is worth the headaches. The knock on Clowney was always that he didn’t give it everything he had and just coasted on his amazing talent. The advantage here is that he is just another guy in the room now and not “the man.” That amazing talent is still there and can flash in short spurts. You are only looking for short spurts now.
Make a daring trade
My colleague mentioned the whys and what fors for Dexter Lawrence trade. Most Texan fans would welcome the addition, but the costs would be substantial. The Giants are trying to trade another big name defensive lineman and the costs would be considerably cheaper. Kayvon Thibodeaux is reported on the trade block in the last year of his rookie deal. He has largely been a disappointment for the Giants and they are looking to recoup something from the exchange.
The advantages are pretty clear. If you are drafting a defensive end, you are looking for someone to develop behind Anderson and Hunter. You aren’t going to expect a ton of production there. Thibodeaux has 23.5 sacks in four seasons with the Giants. That’s nowhere near what they thought they would get for a top five overall draft choice, but if you were adding that as a backup defensive end and a middle round pick you’d gladly accept that as the price of the bargain.
The downside is obviously money. He is in the fifth year option season of his rookie contract. NFL contracts almost always come with caveats and clauses that render the face value meaningless. The fifth year option is one of the few situations where there are no caveats. It is a straight 14.751 million dollars. I imagine that is the hold up for most teams as most teams do not have that kind of cash lying around.
Officially, the Texans have 15.45 million left over to spend. That would easily allow a 3-5 million dollar player, but they must allocate around ten million for the draft. So, they would need the Giants to either eat part of that contract or they would need to restructure someone else. There aren’t many someone elses left. So, while acquiring a former top five pick would be appetizing, this one is a longshot at best.
