CREIGHT EXPECTATIONS
Patrick Creighton: 5 players for the Texans to target post draft
May 1, 2018, 6:11 am
Dez Bryant would be a good fit for the Texans. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
While the Houston Texans may be an incomplete team, they still have quite a bit of money available on their cap. $32M+ available actually, so how could they use it?
Here are 5 players the team could target to help shore up some of the needs they have.
1. C.J. Anderson – RB
Anderson has been a productive back in shared time. Last season he rushed for over 1000 yds on 4.1 YPC behind a bad offensive line and with nothing at quarterback.
Only 27, the 5-8, 224 lb bowling ball back also has solid hands out of the backfield as a receiver.
Anderson is going to make some team look brilliant for signing him, the only question is who. While Anderson may be seeking a scenario where he enters the team as the lead back and not in a situation of a time share, the Texans should be willing to find out.
Anderson was more productive in a more limited role than Lamar Miller, who has been disappointing as a Texan. With the uncertainty surrounding the return of D’Onta Foreman, Anderson seems like an obvious move to add to the RB group, as without Foreman, there’s nothing behind Miller. Anderson could very well wrestle that top job away from Miller, but will definitely create a spirited competition.
2. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie – CB
At 6-2, DRC is a bigger corner who can mix it up and get up on bigger NFL receivers. The 32 year old is only a year removed from a 6 INT season, but saw himself in a diminished role last season as Ben McAdoo looked for ways to destroy a 2016 playoff team in 2017, and ultimately paid for it with his job.
DRC can still go, and is regarded as a team leader. Considering the team would like to move Kareem Jackson to safety, and Kevin Johnson is an injury waiting to happen, getting some quality depth on the cheap at corner would be a wise investment.
3. Dez Bryant – WR
Forget the hype about how Dez hasn’t had a 1,000 yard season in 3 years, it’s a rather misleading statistic.
In 2015, he was catching passes from the likes of Matt Cassel and Kellen Moore before injury sidelined him for the rest of the season after nine games.
In 2016, despite Dallas prioritizing the run with Ezekiel Elliott, and playing with a rookie QB in Dak Prescott, Bryant was on pace for over 1000 yds and double digit touchdowns had he not missed three games with injury and basically sat out the entire Week 17 game as Dallas had already clinched and it was a meaningless game. Essentially he had 50 receptions for 796 yds and 8 TDs in 12 games. He averaged nearly 16 YPC.
Last season the Cowboys entire offense was a mess. Dak regressed, Zeke was suspended six games, the OLine crumbled with injuries, plus Dez played hurt the final 7 weeks of the season.
With an offseason to recover and a mega chip on his shoulder, a refocused and hungry Bryant is an enormous mismatch vs. defenses, and would always face single coverage as teams need to doubleteam DeAndre Hopkins.
Having a reliable WR who can be a game changer opposite Hopkins would be a huge boost for the Texans offense, especially considering the injury history of Will Fuller, the lack of quality WRs after Hopkins and Fuller, and the questionable state of the offensive line heading into the season.
4. Kenny Vaccaro – S
Vaccaro is a former first round pick who can play in and out of the box, get picks, cover TEs, and make tackles.
The Texans spent decent money on Tyrann Mathieu, but this would be much cheaper in getting a "prove it" style deal with Vaccaro, who is coming off surgery to repair a core muscle tear.
Vaccaro has experience, is only 27, and despite missing four games last season, has been generally durable in his career.
Vaccaro would certainly be a step up over the often injured Dre Hal, and would give the Texans the ability to show a strong three safety look on the defense with Vaccaro, Mathieu, and Jackson. As an added bonus, Texans fans wouldn’t have to see Corey Moore blow any more assignments.
5. Marcedes Lewis – TE
Lewis is not a young player (he’s 33) but he’s a very solid player, a team leader, and unlike any other TE on the Texans roster, he can actually block.
He’s spent his entire 12 year career in Jacksonville, so he knows the AFC South. He can also be a solid red zone target (Lewis is 6-6, 255) and security blanket for Deshaun Watson when the protection breaks down and he needs an additional target.
Ryan Griffin is not a strong blocker and Stephen Anderson is essentially a big WR masquerading as a TE. Both are inconsistent receivers and poor blockers. Lewis’ ability to help in protection alone would make him an automatic starter on this team.
$32M is a lot of cash, and the Texans certainly shouldn’t burn all of it in case some team cuts an offensive lineman who could be of service. That said, these five players wouldn’t cost them $32M, but they could deliver a big return as the Texans look to get back to the playoffs in 2018.
Patrick Creighton is the host of “Late Hits” weeknights 7-9p on ESPN 97.5; “Straight Heat” weeknights 9p-12a on SB Nation Radio/SportsMap 94.1 FM; “Nate & Creight” Sundays 12-5p SB Nation Radio/SportsMap 94.1 FM. Follow him on Twitter: @pcreighton1
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The Houston Texans addressed some needs in the NFL draft despite not having a first-round pick this year.
A year after selecting quarterback C.J. Stroud second overall and trading up to get defensive end Will Anderson Jr. with the following pick, the Texans didn’t have a pick in this draft until No. 42 in the second round.
After beefing up their offense significantly by trading for star receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon this offseason, the Texans used their early draft picks to improve their secondary.
They did that by taking Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter with the 42nd pick and adding USC safety Calen Bullock in the third round at No. 78. Both could move into the starting lineup immediately with Houston looking to upgrade the cornerback spot opposite Derek Stingley Jr., the third overall pick in 2022, and the free safety position to play with strong safety Jalen Pitre, a second-round pick in 2022.
The additions should bolster a defense which ranked 23rd in the NFL last season by allowing 234.1 yards passing a game.
General manager Nick Caserio raved about Lassiter, who won two national championships with the Bulldogs.
“Lassiter has position flexed — he’s played in the perimeter, played inside the formation,” Caserio said. “I’d say he plays with a linebacker-type mentality. He’s a corner, but he tackles. He’s tough, he’s physical.”
Lassiter started 29 games combined in his last two seasons at Georgia where he broke up eight passes and had 3½ tackles for losses last season. His draft stock might have fallen because of concerns about his speed after he ran an unofficial 4.60 40-yard dash at Georgia’s pro day.
“I’m sure there will be a question about his speed, and how fast he ran,” Caserio said. “But he’s not slow. The speed really wasn’t a concern of ours. The time is the time. We’re drafting football players; we’re not drafting track teams… when you watch him play in the SEC, you don’t walk away and have that concern.”
Coach DeMeco Ryans constantly preaches the importance of a relentless mindset to his team — and particularly his defense. He said Lassiter is the perfect example of that.
“Kamari provides toughness,” Ryans said Saturday. “You talk about energy and the way he plays the game — he loves football … he’s everything that our team is about.”
Bullock was a three-year starter for the Trojans where he had nine interceptions — two that were returned for touchdowns — and 151 tackles.
“He’s rangy,” Caserio said. “He covers ground, he plays the ball well. He has good movement skills for a safety. He started his career as a corner. Not saying he’s a corner, but he moves well for his size.”
PROTECTING C.J.The Texans chose Notre Dame offensive tackle Blake Fisher with their other pick in the second round at No. 59. Fisher is a versatile lineman after playing both left and right tackle in his college career.
“I think we’ve always been a big believer (that) you can’t have enough tackles on your football team,” Caserio said.
REUNIONHouston reunited Stroud with his former college teammate when it drafted Ohio State tight end Cade Stover in the fourth round. The 6-foot-4, 251-pound Stover, who spent his first year as a linebacker, had 982 yards receiving with 10 touchdowns combined in his last two seasons with the Buckeyes.
Stroud posted a picture on social media of the two of them celebrating in the end zone while at Ohio State soon after he was drafted Saturday.
“This guy is everything you want in a football player,” Caserio said. “This is probably one of our favorite football players in the entire draft.”
STAYING IN SCHOOLThe Texans added to their defense in the sixth round with Oregon safety turned linebacker Jamal Hill. He had 147 tackles, two interceptions and four forced fumbles in five seasons with the Ducks.
Later in the sixth round, the Texans nabbed another player who spent five seasons in college in running back Jawhar Jordan. He spent two seasons at Syracuse before spending his last three seasons at Louisville where he ran for a career-best 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns last year.
Houston wrapped up the draft by taking USC defensive end Solomon Byrd and Auburn defensive tackle Marcus Harris and Michigan offensive tackle LaDarius Henderson in the seventh round.
Byrd was in college for a whopping six seasons after spending four seasons at Wyoming and two seasons with the Trojans. Harris played at Kansas for two seasons before spending the last three years at Auburn. Henderson spent four seasons at Arizona State before finishing with one season at Michigan.