Houston Texans free agent options keep growing and some big names are taking notice

WATT AN OPTION

After the Texans last two dramatic wins, they have all of a sudden become the darlings of the NFL. You can't watch any sports show without CJ Stroud's MVP chances being a topic that dominates the conversation.

And Colin Cowherd is no different. In fact, an interesting point was discussed on his podcast this week involving the long-term outlook for the Texans.

With the success the team is having with CJ Stroud, the Texans will now be a desirable destination for free agents, and the Texans shouldn't have to overpay players to join the team anymore.

Plus, with so many impactful players on one-year deals, the Texans will have the luxury of either re-signing them, or upgrading through free agency.

Here are some of the players on one-year contracts the Texans will have to make a decision on after the season.

Sheldon Rankins

Noah Brown

Dalton Schultz

Tavierre Thomas

George Fant

Michael Dieter

Devin Singletary

Denzel Perryman

Steven Nelson (his two-year deal expires after the season)

And just this week, JJ Watt shared some thoughts on which team he would like to join if he ever decided to come out of retirement. You guessed it, the Texans.

Be sure to watch the video above as we discuss the long-term outlook for the Texans and react to Watt's surprising comments.

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The Astros beat the Brewers, 9-1. Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images.

Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings and Jeremy Peña homered and drove in four runs as the Houston Astros defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 9-1 on Wednesday.

Houston earned just its second victory in seven games to snap Milwaukee’s three-game winning streak and leave both teams with .500 records. The Brewers were attempting to sweep a series from the Astros for the first time since 2012.

The Astros led 3-1 before Peña broke the game open by delivering a three-run homer to left off reliever Elvin Rodriguez with two outs in the sixth inning.

Valdez (2-4) struck out seven while allowing three hits, two walks and one run to earn his first win since the Astros’ March 27 season opener. He threw a season-high 101 pitches.

Milwaukee’s only run off Valdez came on Eric Haase’s fifth-inning homer, a 425-foot drive to center.

The Astros took a 1-0 lead off Quinn Priester (1-1) in the second inning as Jake Meyers hit a two-out single and scored on Zach Dezenzo’s double.

The Brewers have lost all 13 games this season in which their opponent scored first.

Five-time All-Star closer Josh Hader worked the ninth while pitching in Milwaukee for the first time since the Brewers traded him in 2022.

Key moment

The Astros led 1-0 and had runners on third and second with one out in the fifth when Peña hit a bouncer to third.

The throw home beat Dezenzo to the plate. Home plate umpire Chris Conroy initially ruled Dezenzo out, but the Astros challenged the call and replays showed the runner slid home ahead of Haase’s tag.

Key stat

Valdez has now pitched at least seven innings an MLB-leading 57 times since 2020.

Up next

The Astros host the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. Scheduled pitchers are right-hander Hunter Brown (5-1, 1.67) for the Astros and right-hander Nick Martinez (1-3, 4.19) for the Reds.

The Brewers visit the Tampa Bay Ray on Friday. Left-hander José Quintana (4-1, 2.83) will pitch for the Brewers.

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