Should the team bring back Tyrann Mathieu or consider available free agents?
Texans about to do the Safety Dance
Mar 5, 2019, 7:16 am
Does the Honey Badger return? Bob Levey/Getty Images
Going into last season the Texans had several questions about their secondary and who would fill what roles for Romeo Crennel's defense? By the end of the campaign, the team had a firm grasp of who would be there for the long haul as rookie Justin Reid established himself as a bonified starter, big hitter and above average coverage safety. The first round talent was a steal in the thirrd round and made new General Manager Brian Gaine look like a genius as he played in all 16 games, starting 12 and intercepting three passes.
Playing along Tyrann Mathieu the duo was athletic, active and hard hitting. The "Honey Badger" proved to be another bargain in his first year with the team as he signed for one year and $7 million dollars and then proceeded to take on a leadership role both on the field and in the locker room as he had 70 solo tackles to equal Reid's number for the season and added two picks.
With the revolving door of cornerbacks the team was forced to go through, the stability on the back end of the unit proved to be extremely valuable and helpful as it allowed Crennel the ability to be flexible and move players around, like Kareem Jackson who alternated between the two positions throughout the year.
That was last year, with Mathieu a free agent and looking for a bigger, long term deal, does the team commit to him or explore the free agent market and try to once again catch lightning in a bottle at the safety position? There are options out there both young and old and it will make Gaine's job that much tougher as he attempts to find a balance between the price and the player in finding the best fit for this team going forward.
If the Texans elect to move on from Mathieu and look for a more "Gaine-like" big bodied, versatile, athlete that can excel in coverage as well as at the line of scrimmage and in the open field, there may be a perfect fit in Landon Collins. Collins has quickly emerged as one of the best young safeties in the league, but the Giants don't want to franchise him and thus, he looks to be headed out on the open market to test the waters and see if he can find a long term home with a team that has the ability to make the playoffs while maximizing his talent and versatility. He has made the Pro Bowl the last three years and has grown and improved with each passing year of experience. Losing and a dysfunctional locker room seemed to take its toll on the player as he cleaned out his locker at the end of the year and sent the message that it was time to move on.
Pairing an experienced and accomplished player like Collins with the young and impressionable Reid could be a dynamic duo that could hold down the last line of defense for Houston for years to come. If he does indeed escape from New York look for Gaine to get in line with a long list of teams that would love to add Collins to their roster.
The other name I think the Texans should consider is veteran Earl Thomas. The former standout from the University of Texas has established himself as the hardest hitting safety in the game and a respected, hard-nosed, intelligent defender that has lead the legendary Seahawks "Legion of Boom" defense to a Super Bowl title and years of notoriety. After his season of turmoil that ended in injury and controversy in Seattle it was obvious a divorce was imminent and his initial thoughts had the Cowboys as his next destination.
Fortunately for Texans fans, the 'Boys have their hands full trying to sign their own big named free agents and therefore they might not have the financial flexibility to land a player of Thomas' caliber. That would leave the door wide open for Earl to stay in Texas and head to Houston where he would be a great fit with JJ Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and the crew while doing some on the job training with Reid. Thomas is a Rockets fan and frequently attends games in the offseason and he knows the city and the sporting community well. The Bayou city could be a great landing spot to mesh his talent and veteran leadership with the youthful exuberance of an up and coming young prodigy. I for one would love to see Earl hold down the fort for Bill O'Brien's defense and take his talents to H-town. Obviously, the choice is not mine but I would like to think that Thomas, Mathieu, and Collins are three very solid options and Houston would be happy to have any one of them.
Heading into Wednesday's Grapefruit League game, reports indicate that Astros first baseman Christian Walker has been scratched with left oblique soreness.
Worth noting that Christian Walker had a left oblique injury last season that kept him on the IL for more than a month https://t.co/13IZ7P6Dtd
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 5, 2025
As Chandler Rome mentions in the post above, Walker missed the entire month of August in 2024 with a left oblique injury. He only hit .231 for the remainder of the season after recovering from the injury.
Walker was off to a hot start this spring, hitting .500 with 3 doubles in 8 at-bats. Hopefully this is just a precautionary move, and he'll be back in the lineup shortly.
However, these are the types of risks owner Jim Crane likes to take. Only willing to commit big money on short-term deals to aging players. Walker will be 34 years old at the end of March. He signed a 3-year, $60 million contract with Houston this offseason.
The reality is, sometimes these moves work, and sometimes they don't. Older players are more likely to have their production falloff and deal with injuries. Michael Brantley is a prime example of getting good value from an older player on a short contract. His 2-year deal for $32 million with the Astros for the 2019 and 2020 seasons turned out to be a solid move. He played the 2019 and 2020 seasons at 32 and 33 years old, respectively. His contracts with the 'Stros following that original deal did not work out nearly as well, with injuries keeping him out of the lineup regularly.
Justin Verlander is another example of Crane's willingness to roll the dice on aging players. Verlander joined the Astros during his age 34 season. Houston saw a wide range of results with Verlander. He won two Cy Young awards and two championships with the club, but also missed significant time due to injury, and struggled to get batter outs when healthy in 2024. Verlander was left off the postseason roster in his final year in Houston.
And we can't help but mention the Jose Abreu contract as a cautionary tale. Especially since the terms of his deal and his age are similar to Walker's.
But clearly, Crane was more comfortable making the cheaper 3-year deal with Walker over extending Kyle Tucker or paying Alex Bregman market value. Had the Astros kept one of those two players, they likely would have felt better about keeping Jon Singleton at first base and passing on Walker.
Only time will tell if the Astros made the right decisions. The trade haul for Kyle Tucker looks terrific so far, but we all know it's not wise to put too much stock in spring training games.
It's also worth noting, both Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez missed time in 2023 dealing with oblique injuries.