Next Man Mentality
Let's identify Deshaun Watson's new No.1 target
Aug 6, 2020, 5:18 pm
Composite image by Jack Brame.
Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien will be the butt of jokes until proven wrong. Walking away without a first-round pick in a trade sending All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was something of an enigma. However, in a way, perhaps Houston could come out the other side looking stronger.
With the 40th pick in place, O'Brien traded away their original 57th selection to the Los Angeles Rams for speedster Brandin Cooks. Add in the redefined Randall Cobb in the slot, perhaps their production gives Deshaun Watson more than just a single go-to weapon. However, in any high-risk scenario, best hope the cards fall your way.
Receptions yards and stud pass-catchers don't go hand in hand. Take a look at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys — both of whom featured a top 10 receiver and both missed the postseason. Still, having a player who can change the game with a rising pocket passer should fare well.
"Since we [traded] and got him, we definitely kind of built that chemistry," Watson said. "We've been talking ever since. Working out with him has been good. He's just a great person. His family is awesome, amazing. A guy that you just want to be around. He's seen so much football, been around so many people."
Cooks must break free as the team's new top target. Hopkins had been the definition of consistency at NRG Drive, finishing the last three seasons with a minimum of 96 catches for 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns.
Cooks, who will turn 27 this September, has been in the front line for concussion protocol, suffering a minimum of five in his six-year stint. Despite the concerns surrounding CTE and the impact of hits, the former Rams speedster has "zero" concerns about his history with the injury.
"For me, I'm not worried at all," Cooks said on Thursday. "If there is any hesitation or worry, I wouldn't be here right now. But at the end of the day, things happen in this game that you wish don't happen. But when you start to learn through this process, you really start to get an understanding on what this is. There's so much out there that people just don't understand that goes into it. I'm comfortable and I feel great and I look forward to continuing to just do what I have to do and go out there and give it my all."
When healthy, Cooks' 4.33 speed allows him to win in man coverage from a vertical standpoint. Starting his career with the New Orleans Saints, the former Oregon State product is one of four players to finish with four 1,000-yard seasons before their age-26 season.
Cooks' production diminished last season with 42 catches for 583 yards and two touchdowns. Should he find a natural balance between a constant casualty and supreme superstar, the Texans should remain confident in the passing game.
Outside of Cooks, Cobb could continue his comeback tour throughout the Lone Star State. The former Packer signed a cheap deal with the Dallas Cowboys last offseason and shined as the No.3 option, finishing with 55 catches for 828 yards and three touchdowns.
Cobb signed a three-year, $27 million deal this season with the Texans. Houston's inability to find a reliable slot option has been well identified via free agency and the draft. In 2018, DeAndre Carter and former fourth-rounder Keke Coutee combined for 33 catches, 416 yards and zero scores.
Houston is hoping for a full season with Will Fuller as their new top target. Since entering the league in 2016, the former first-rounder has yet to play more than 14 games and has yet to surpass 50 catches on the year. Flashing the potential of a sound vertical threat, Fuller's health could decide if he's viewed as a long-term option entering a contract year.
"He showed up and he's in great shape," O'Brien told reporters on July 31. "He looks good. He's been working out and working hard. He's excited about the season and he's excited about our offense. We're excited about having him for 16 games."
Health will be the main concern for the Texans' passing attack. Should three of the four top options remain on the field, they should combine to replace Hopkins' overall value. However, concussion concerns and lower-body injuries will always be on the minds of the Bulls on Parade faithful.
Houston won't know if trading away a top-five target could look like a win until their season opener on Sept.10. Perhaps Rhode Island rookie Isaiah Coulter could shock the world and become the next big-time target.
Should concussion concerns and lower body injuries minimally factor into the Texans' season, this could be Watson's top unit since entering the league in 2017. If not, there are more questions than answers as the two-time Pro Bowler gears up for contract negotiations.
"We're working hard," O'Brien said on Watson's potential extension. "We feel so strongly about him in this offense, in this organization. We want him here for a long time. We'd love to have Deshaun here."
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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