What positions might the Texans target?
In a few short years of watching Nick Caserio operate we know at least one concrete thing. He doesn’t like standing still for very long. He has already made one trade this year when he traded Cam Akers to the Minnesota Vikings for what amounts to a pick swap in 2026. As trades go that isn’t very significant. Furthermore, it isn’t the normal course of things for a 5-1 football team to deal away players.
Could Caserio be acquiring assets to push for a more significant trade before the deadline? The deadline has been moved to Tuesday November 5th. Still, teams like the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets have already made moves to add to their receiving cores. More importantly for Houston, that means that Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns have signaled that they are throwing in the towel on the season.
So, your Houston Texans might be open for business. What are some positions or some specific players that could be considered around the trade deadline? Are the Texans in a position to make a move at all?
Haason Reddick— New York Jets
The Jets are apparently still considering themselves as buyers, but Reddick is a special case. He is still holding out. His agent fired him and he hired Drew Rosenhaus as his new agent. That could mean that there could be movement on a new deal with the Jets, but they are also giving him permission to seek a trade with any of the 31 other teams.
The good news is that he has been consistently productive as a defensive tackle in the NFL. The Texans have some room under the cap, but they would have to be creative to make it work. Is Reddick open to doing that or is he willing to sit out the entire season? Also, is he a stylistic fit for DeMeco Ryans’ defense? We might have learned that in New York if he played for the Jets, but that hasn’t happened.
Reddick had 11 sacks last season for the Philadelphia Eagles. The idea of putting him inside with Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter on the outside is tantalizing. Let’s not forget that Denico Autry and his double digit sacks haven’t even suited up for the Texans yet on the season. They could assemble the scariest defensive front in the game.
Budda Baker— Arizona Cardinals
I can’t take credit for this one. CBS Sportsline made this suggestion and it’s not a bad one as suggestions go. Jimmie Ward is perpetually banged up (I’m still not quite certain why they tacked on an additional year onto that contract) and while Calen Bullock has played well, he is only one guy. I like Eric Murray and am almost over the Bill O’Brien induced PTSD, but he is strictly a complementary piece and not meant to be a starter.
If we are looking at the defense critically then we would see that there have been too many cases where receivers have beaten them deep. Having two very capable safeties on the field at all times could change that for the better. The downside is again money. Baker has asked the Cardinals for a pay raise, so while you can fit it under the cap in 2024, he might present some issues in 2025 and beyond.
Jonathan Jones— New England Patriots
Speaking of the back end, the Texans were without Kamari Lassiter on Sunday and their lack of depth was on full display. Again, this team has a problem with receivers getting behind them and running free in the secondary. Yes, the quarterbacks they have faced so far have failed to connect. A part of that is the pressure that the front seven are providing and some of it is that they haven’t faced the good quarterbacks yet as a general rule.
The Patriots should be in sell-off mode as they try to amass as many picks as possible they can surround Drake Maye with talent. They aren’t trading offensive pieces in that scenario. So, look for them to deal away defensive players to pare down the cap and stockpile picks for the future.
Maurice Hurst— Cleveland Browns
Hurst is not currently starting for the Browns, but he is a rotational player inside that could add key depth for the Texans as they wait for Mario Edwards to come back from suspension. While Denico Autry is coming back, he has been an outside player for most of his career, so I’m not sure how many snaps you can count on him to play for you at defensive tackle. He might be purely a third down/pass rush specialist on the inside.
He would be the type of player you could probably get for the compensation you received from the Vikings in the Akers deal. It would amount to a three team swap where you get depth at defensive tackle in exchange for depth at running back. The Browns have all but signaled they are punting on the season, so this kind of deal might be underwhelming but this team needs bodies on the inside.
Greg Newsome II— Cleveland Browns
Newsome will be on his fifth year option next season and is due for a huge raise given his overall production at cornerback. This is one that is further down the list since the money would be outrageous and the Texans already have two starting quality corners. This only makes sense as a win now move and only if the Browns sell low on him. That isn’t all that likely given that he is one of their better players.
We didn’t mention it before, but it should come up here that Cleveland might want to avoid dealing with Houston after having their lunch money stolen in exchange for some magic beans. These things happen around the league and we know full well that we have been on the business end of some of those deals.
Any more Texans on the way out?
This really isn’t a part of the fun, but Nick Caserio could potentially move some more pieces to acquire low round picks in the future. These picks could be used to offset any picks that he sends out for one or more of the players above. It also could help to alleviate some of the cap issues just enough to add maybe two names instead of one.
Robert Woods— WR
The Texans radio broadcast team are really trying to make Woods into an important veteran by nicknaming him “Steady” Robert Woods. He has three receptions and 28 yards on the season. That’s not exactly the kind of stuff that legends are made of. Sure, all of us love Woods as much as the next guy, but it appears as if Xavier Hutchinson has entrenched himself as the de facto fourth receiver. Dealing him makes too much sense as it would clear out at least some money under the cap.
John Metchie III— WR
Metchie has one catch for seven yards. I know he is a feel-good story and all of that, but at some point you have to produce to keep your spot. Steven Sims seems to have regained his hold on the return duties which also keeps his hold on a roster spot. Metchie is usually inactive when everyone is healthy. He might not be worth more than a future seventh rounder, but something is better than nothing at this point and he literally is bringing nothing to the table.