Each offseason, in the National Football League, this time of year, there is a countdown to the beginning of free agency, which is essentially the league’s version of a land rush to use salary cap space to fill holes on the 32 rosters. For the record, it begins next Monday.
That said, we’ve gotten some stark reminders this week, both locally here in Houston and around the league, that the beginning of the offseason has essentially begun, as there is nothing preventing trades and maneuvers for teams to fortify their rosters and get open up salary cap space, or in the case of a few teams, merely get cap compliant (as in, get at least one dollar underneath the cap).
The aforementioned reminder? The Texans have executed two noteworthy trades this week, sending Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns and bringing in David Montgomery in a trade with the Lions. Bigger picture, the Chiefs and Rams pulled off a blockbuster on Wednesday, with Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie headed west for four draft picks. Quarterbacks are getting cut, players are bidding adieu on Instagram posts. In short, it’s still busy even before free agency begins!
Could the Texans have more pre-free agency work to do? That’s the big question. Nick Caserio, the Texans GM, may have more moves up his sleeve. Here are three possibilities that I would keep an eye out for between now and Monday afternoon:
Another big trade, perhaps for Trent Williams
As mentioned above, Caserio has already shown he is ready to wheel and deal this offseason, with the Howard and Montgomery deals. The biggest name possibly available in a trade is All Pro Niners left tackle Trent Williams, whose $39 million cap number is making retaining him tricky. Williams is 37 years old, but his game is aging just fine. He’s one of the best at a position of need for the Texans. DeMeco Ryans has intimate knowledge of how Williams operates, having been in San Francisco with him for four seasons. The contract would be pricy to absorb, but this a move that has sizzle and steak.
Retention of key free agents, perhaps Sheldon Rankins
The Texans don’t have any big ticket free agents to worry about losing this offseason, but there are some underrated “glue” pieces that, as of right now, are set to hit the market. The Texans could keep them from hitting free agency with contract extensions, assuming they are cap friendly. If I were prioritizing free agents to bring back this week, I’d list defensive tackles Sheldon Rankins and Tim Settle, punter Tommy Townsend, linebacker E.J. Speed, and defensive end Derek Barnett. Guard Ed Ingram is tricky, as I would welcome him back, but his price range could be a little too robust for him to forego hitting the market on Monday.
Numerous contract restructures, perhaps several names
Right now, the Texans aren’t really in a position to sign anybody in free agency, as coming into the week, they were still several million over the salary cap. They have until Wednesday at 3 p.m. to get under the cap. The Texans will want to be well under the cap so they can go shopping, so expect to see restructures of some existing contracts to create space. Names like Derek Stingley, Nico Collins, Jalen Pitre, and Danielle Hunter (who reportedly wants an extension) are names to watch for contract maneuvering.
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