By Jack McNicholas

April 13, 2020

As we look toward the season and the world is at a halt. We all have one thing that continues to fly through the football media airwaves. That is the news that Texans Coach and General Manager has made yet another insane transaction. On January 28, 2020, O’Brien was appointed to the role of general manager for Houston. The Texans went the entire 2019 season with the position vacant and now they have to regret some of the moves made. As of yesterday the Texans traded for Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks. While for any team the acquisition of Cooks would be a positive one. For Houston and Bill O’Brien this is yet another acquisition to try to make sense of the Deandre Hopkins trade. Losing one of the top receivers in football and replacing him with Cooks is not a fair balance. 

For Houston and Bill O’Brien this is yet another acquisition to try to make sense of the Deandre Hopkins trade. Losing one of the top receivers in football and replacing him with Cooks is not a fair balance. The Hopkins trade doesn’t show it but the Texans are in win now mode; but they best be. It is time to examine why this all-in mentality is unlike any teams build up ever. The Texans are also significant due to the fact that they have no safety net. All of these moves made last season and this offseason have shown the Texans traded for the lot and got nothing back. As they do not own a first round pick for the next two seasons. 

Deshaun Watson is the quarterback talent who is in need of an extension and his contract is up after this season. When you analyze what the Texans offense will look like next year Deshaun can’t deny that he is surrounded by speedy weapons. David Johnson, Brandin Cooks, Randall Cobb and Will Fuller V. David Johnson was acquired in the trade for Deandre Hopkins. While we have seen that Johnson has a high ceiling, it is unlikely he will repeat his past success. If you look at this offense under Bill O’Brien all of his running backs get a large amount of carries. Johnson will be the featured back but his health concerns worry me. Overall the top three receivers have dealt with injuries within the past two seasons.

Without the weapons around Watson being healthy. It could prove disastrous for the Texans as an organization. Most teams who go into the season with questions about their teams success usually don’t get to the playoffs with that mentality. I believe that last years playoff run will not be in the stars for the Texans this year. Due to their division around them getting better and they have remained stagnant. Looking at the trade that hurt the Texans draft capital I believe that this was the start of the problem. Houston traded a first-round selection in 2020, 2021 first- and second-round selections as well as offensive tackle Julién Davenport and defensive back Johnson Bademosi to Miami in exchange for wide receiver Kenny Stills, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, a fourth-round selection, and a 2021 sixth-round selection. With the Hopkins and David Johnson trade they were able to get a second round pick but that is just making up for what they already lost. 

With a franchise level quarterback to pay, surrounded by weapons that each have their own injury concerns. The Houston Texans have found themselves in all of the bad situations that a team can be in. All of the moves have helped them gain a tackle of the future in Laremy Tunsil. Then there are moves like getting rid of Jadeveon Clowney for a third round pick when years earlier he was the first overall selection of Bill O’Brien’s tenure. Then used that third round pick on corner Gareon Conely who has been a bus so far. This team is in win now mode with a roster that seems to barley be pushing the playoff bubble.

In two weeks they will have to use the draft picks that they still own to try to grow their team through the draft. They own six picks the earliest being in the second round and the 40th pick overall. They have a bunch of receivers and hopefully they can make the best of all of these trades and prove the world wrong. If they come out of nowhere and all of these trades show to be the reason for their success. I will be the first to admit this. I have never seen a team trade its capital to gain talent and eventually make the who build seem like a re-build. 2020 better be the year