The trade market could benefit the Texans. Composite Getty Image.
It was a busy day in the NFL on Tuesday, as teams had to make their final decisions on whether to use the franchise tag. The Houston Texans opted not to use the tag, but did agree to a 3-year, $36 million contract extension with tight end Dalton Schultz.
Which means several of the team's top defenders will hit the market in free agency, unless they are able to get a deal done by Wednesday, March 13 before 4PM/ET. DE Jonathan Greenard, CB Steven Nelson, and LB Blake Cashman will be coveted by other teams, and certainly missed if the Texans are unable to bring them back.
Corners Tavierre Thomas, and Desmond King are also set to be free agents. Meaning, Derek Stingley is the only legitimate corner currently on the roster. And as good as he was last season, he has missed 14 games in his two-year career.
The Kansas City Chiefs also had some tough choices to make this week, choosing to use the franchise tag on their elite corner Ladarius Snead. Which means defensive lineman Chris Jones will be a highly sought after free agent when the legal tampering period begins on Monday.
What's interesting about Snead is the Chiefs are reportedly willing to trade him if they can't sign him to a long-term contract. Bleacher Report recently published an article naming seven teams that should pursue Snead on the trade market, with Houston being one of those teams.
Which makes a ton of sense considering the Texans are short-handed at corner and have a ton of cap space even after the Schultz and Ka'imi Fairbairn (3-year, $15.9 million) contracts.
And cap space they will need because Snead will carry a 2024 cap hit of $19.8 million if he remains on the franchise tag. Of course, the goal would be to sign him to an extension. But even when they do that, he'll command a salary of around $20 million per year.
Which is what teams should expect to pay for an elite corner that's in the prime of his career.
How much will the Texans have to give up in a trade?
Via: Bleacher Report:
In a vacuum, Sneed is probably worth a first-round draft pick. That may be where Kansas City starts its negotiations.
Although Sneed has never been named to the Pro Bowl, he was easily one of the NFL's top cover corners in 2023. The 27-year-old allowed an opposing passer rating of only 56.2 in coverage, and he didn't allow a single touchdown during the regular season despite being targeted 100 times.
A first round pick feels a little sporty if the Texans are going to have to pay him a top of the market corner salary. In the video below, they reference an article from Texans Wire that addresses the compensation. Would Kansas City be willing to take a second-round pick? Or perhaps the Chiefs (No. 32) swap first-round picks with Houston (No. 23), and the Texans throw in a third-rounder to get the deal done.
It may sound like a lot, but this would arguably give the Texans the best corner duo in the NFL. And keep in mind, the Texans are going to have to attack this position one way or another with only Stingley in the fold currently.
They could do a blockbuster trade for Snead that would cost them draft picks and a salary of around $20 a year.
Or, they could go after a soon-to-be free agent like Steven Nelson, that would cost around half that.
The draft is another way they could go, which means you're surrendering a first or second round pick for a prospect that may or may not pan out.
Whichever way they choose to proceed, they have to add two starting-caliber corners to the roster.
Be sure to check out the video above for all the pros and cons of pulling off a blockbuster trade for Snead.
Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans didn’t hold back in his praise for cornerback Derek Stingley in the locker room Sunday after his second interception of the fourth quarter iced a win over Miami.
“That’s probably the best play I’ve ever seen,” Ryans told the team before giving Stingley a game ball after the 20-12 victory.
Tua Tagovailoa and Miami’s offense got the ball back with just under two minutes left to try to tie it. But on the first play of the drive, Tagovailoa attempted a long pass to Tyreek Hill and Stingley stretched out to grab the ball in between Hill’s hands.
Tagovailoa slowly undid his chin straps and shook his head as he watched Stingley and Houston’s defense celebrate a fourth turnover of the game. Stingley and the entire defense raced to the end zone, where several teammates pretended to place a crown atop his head as he clutched the ball.
“It’s very impressive,” Ryans said. “It’s very rare you see a player make a play that way to end the game. That was an All-Pro-type play. That’s what it looks like when you’re one of the top guys at your position in the league going up, matching it up against one of the best wideouts in the league.”
Earlier in the quarter, Stingley snatched another ball before it could reach Hill inside the 10-yard line with about 10 1/2 minutes to go.
Stingley has played well all season but has taken things up a notch in the past month, with four of his five interceptions coming in the last four games. He also had two tackles for loss Sunday to become the first cornerback in NFL history to have two interceptions and two tackles for loss in a game.
His performance earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
“Can’t say enough about how impactful Stingley has been throughout not only those plays (Sunday), but Stingley has been impactful throughout the entire year,” Ryans said. “I think for the past three wins, he’s been our defensive player of the game. So, when he’s making impact plays, it’s putting us in position to win football games.”
Houston’s win over Miami coupled with a loss by Indianapolis on Sunday gave the Texans (9-5) their second straight AFC South title. Next, they travel to Kansas City on Saturday to face the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
Stingley, the third overall pick in the 2022 draft, was criticized for not living up to expectations in his first two seasons in the league. He struggled to stay on the field, missing 13 games with injuries while fellow cornerback Sauce Gardner, taken a pick behind him by the New York Jets, won AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and twice was selected as an All-Pro.
This year, Stingley has started every game and has defended 17 passes, has 46 tackles and four tackles for loss, which are all career highs.
The former LSU standout was asked if he thinks he’s proved critics wrong with his play this season. He insists he doesn’t care about that.
“My teammates, they know who I am,” he said. “So, really it’s just showing my teammates that they can trust me.”
It’s easy to get teammates and coaches to rave about the season Stingley is having. Getting the player himself to talk about what he’s doing is much more difficult.
And it’s not just that he dislikes talking to reporters. He doesn’t seem to like talking much to anybody.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud shared how the interactions have gone between them when he tells Stingley he should play offense because he has such good hands.
“He doesn’t really talk much … he’s just like mm-hmm,” Stroud said with a laugh. “He doesn’t say nothing. Not too many words out of Sting.”
For now, he’s letting his play speak for him. While others predict that he will make his first Pro Bowl this season and possibly even earn All-Pro honors, he remains focused on the team.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m trying to get to the Super Bowl. If it happens, it happens. If it don’t, it’s cool.”
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
