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Jermaine Every: A look at some potential bargain free agents for the Texans
Feb 13, 2018, 6:57 am
Last week, I told you guys the moves I felt the Texans need to make this offseason. This week, I want to follow up on that same thought with a more detailed look into some free agent signings I feel they should make.
In an ideal world, they would sign the best guys at every position of need and voila! No more holes! In the real world, that’s not exactly how it works. Free agents would have to want to come play for your team, sign for the money you’re offering, and be happy with the role he’s being given. The money paid has to be the going rate for a top five guy at his position whether he deserves it or not (see Jimmy Garoppolo).
Going into free agency, the Texans have approximately $52 million dollars in cap space. More space should be coming as guys are either cut, traded, or retire. With that being said, here are some free agents that can not only fill some holes, but fit as bargains in positions of need:
Kelemete filled in admirably in spot duty for one of the league’s most prolific offenses last year in New Orleans. He’s never been a full-time starter, but has improved year after year and really showed what he can do last year playing in all 16 games, starting 7 of them, for a total of 639 total plays last year. He’s coming off a two-year/$2.7 million dollar deal with $300,000 dollars guaranteed. I suspect he won’t be commanding much more than a slight bump on his next deal. Four years, averaging $2.5-3.5 million per and around half of the deal guaranteed should do.
Bringing back Ellington would be a wise decision. He’s not in a position to command top dollar, and played very well in this system last year. Listed at 5’9, 200 pounds, Ellington’s size won’t strike fear into the hearts of opposing defenses. However, his speed is underestimated, as well as his toughness. Look for a deal averaging around $1.5 million dollars to lure him back considering that’ll be double what he made last year.
Being a backup quarterback takes a special guy. He has to know his role involves staying ready in case the starter can’t go, which could be at any given moment. Daniel has played that role since he came into the league. He’s backed up Drew Brees and Alex Smith in his career. He’s a veteran who still has some athleticism, so running a similar offense to Deshaun Watson shouldn’t be that difficult. Besides, he ran a spread style offense in high school and at University of Missouri. Knowing Taysom Hill is Sean Payton’s new favorite backup for Brees may make Daniel look elsewhere for clipboard duty. A deal averaging $1-3 million dollars per should be enough to lure him away from New Orleans.
Gaines’ one interception last year isn’t the sexy stat most want to see when looking into free agent corners. However, the fact that he’s 25 years old, would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $20-30 million dollars less overall than Malcolm Butler will (or what A.J. Buoye would have last year), certainly makes him more attractive. Gaines is a solid starter who performed admirably on a Bills defense that traded away Ronald Darby (arguably their best corner) to the Philadelphia Eagles and brought Gaines in when they traded Sammy Watkins to the Rams. Total contract value in the neighborhood of $30-40 million dollars over about four years would do just fine here.
Sure, Boston is coming off a career year in a contract year with five interceptions. But the woes at safety have been well-documented for the Texans and it’s time to put an end to it. Boston made plays last year on a team that had a great pass rush. If guys like Whitney Mercilus and J.J. Watt come back somewhat healthy, the Texans will have a good pass rush as well. Boston will cost in the neighborhood of $7-9 million per year on average, but should pay off nicely given what could potentially be playing in front of him.
Here’s another ex-New England Patriot to bring to town to help make the Texans “Patriots South.” Fleming played in 12 games last year, starting 6 of them for a team that could’ve won the Super Bowl. He won’t command top tackle dollar, so a middling deal averaging around $5-7 million per year should be enough to get him to sign. The Texans have done things in the past to make them “Patriots South,” why not bring in a decent young offensive tackle from the team they so desperately want to emulate?
Notice a trend much? All these guys, with the exception of Chase Daniel, are under 30 years old. All of them would be relative bargains compared to what top guys at their position would command. Boston may be the one guy here who might command near top dollar for his position, but reference back to the Seattle Seahawks or Patriots games last year if you need convincing. Just because the team has an estimated $52 million dollars to spend doesn’t mean they should blow it all in one offseason. Structuring contracts will be one of general manager’s Brian Gaines’ toughest jobs. Maintaining a competitive roster while keeping a decent amount of cap space is more of a magic trick than a balancing act, but it can be done. Offseasons like the one facing the Texans now are why drafting is so important. It creates depth and can help your cap space for three to four years if you get a starter in the middle to late rounds on a cheap rookie deal. Let’s see what the Gaine/Bill O’Brien partnership can bring this team now that the general manager and coach are “philosophically aligned.”
Stephen Curry closed his eyes and rested his tired head on Jimmy Butler's right shoulder as the superstars shared another postgame moment.
This time, with Butler injured and wearing street clothes — a full-length fur coat at that.
“Well first, he had a fantastic coat on,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought he was going to be way too hot in that thing.”
Sidelined for Game 3 of Golden State's first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, Butler had a front-row seat to watch his teammate take over Saturday night in a 104-93 win that gave the Warriors a 2-1 lead.
Curry scored 36 points with five 3-pointers and had nine assists and seven rebounds in nearly 41 minutes. He had been determined to do more if Butler couldn't play after injuring his pelvis and suffering a deep gluteal muscle contusion in a hard fall during Game 2.
Butler and Curry can compare notes on their injured backsides, given that Curry has dealt with a bruised tailbone multiple times. For now, Curry appreciates the support, whether Butler is in uniform or not.
And the fur Butler was wearing?
“I almost didn't need a hot pack on the sideline sitting next to him. There was plenty of heat emanating from him,” Curry said before adding, “He's a savvy veteran, high-IQ guy, he's got a presence whether he's active or not where his voice matters, and we needed him to lift everybody up on the bench and give us that energy. His presence matched the fit for sure.”
Kerr wasn't ready to guess whether Butler will be able to play in Game 4 on Monday night.
“He’s literally day-to-day. We have tomorrow off. It will be helpful for him to have another day, and then it’s a night game,” Kerr said. “So he gets a few extra hours. So we’ll see. I have no idea right now if he’s going to play.”
Butler had been set to go through his pregame routine, which he does out of sight on the team's practice court and not the playing floor before games at Chase Center. He had an MRI exam Thursday in the Bay Area a day after he was hurt in Houston.
“We had to have Jimmy’s back while he was out,” said Gary Payton II, who scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. “Hopefully we get Jimmy back for Game 4 and get back to our regularly scheduled program.”
Jonathan Kuminga, who didn't play for three straight games before rejoining the rotation in Game 2 when Butler got hurt, was in the starting lineup for his fourth career playoff start.
Butler went down hard when he was fouled by Amen Thompson late in the first quarter and then missed the rest of the Warriors’ 109-94 Game 2 loss on Wednesday night.
Butler tried to secure a rebound when Thompson undercut him and sent the Warriors star’s feet high into the air so that he came down straight onto his tailbone. Both players thudded to the floor and Butler grimaced in pain, grabbing at his backside. He stayed in briefly to shoot two free throws before going to the locker room.
Kerr appreciated Butler's insight on the bench.
“Jimmy is so smart. He reminds me so much of Andre Iguodala," Kerr said. “Incredible basketball IQ and then the ability to communicate what he’s seeing to his teammates on the bench. I thought Jimmy was important for us tonight in that regard. He was talking to guys throughout the game, and giving them advice, giving some help, and that was big.”
In the Game 1 win against the Rockets, Butler had 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals in 42 minutes. The Warriors are 26-9 since Butler made his debut at Chicago on Feb. 8, including 23-8 in the regular season, a play-in tournament win over Memphis and the three games against Houston.
“We know they are still dangerous without Butler, so that doesn’t change anything as far as that," Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “We didn’t make them pay, especially with the paint shots.”