Houston Texans Front Office Looking Great This Week

Often times, the ones who are declared the “big winners” in free agency are the same teams who are drafting high the following season and have major salary cap issues.

The Houston Texans are not that team.

They may not be declared the big winners of this year’s free agency but don’t let that sway your opinion on what GM Rick Smith and the rest of the Texans front office has done since free agency opened.

No, the Texans didn’t sign Ndamukong Suh, or trade for Jimmy Graham, or acquire an All-Pro quarterback. Nor did the Texans have half their defense retire, trade away their starting Pro-Bowl running back, or sign an ehh kick returner to an absurd contract.

None of that happened in Houston.

Instead, we saw some moves that may fly under the radar on ESPN or NFL Network. Sure, the Andre Johnson news will be talked about for the next 8 months and Vince Wilfork will sure be mentioned a few times, but otherwise there was nothing “sexy” about the Texans offseason.

And that may be a good thing.

The Andre Johnson situation was unfortunate. It all started last offseason and it couldn’t be resolved. Oh well. It will be tough to watch him in an Indianapolis Colts uniform but the NFL is a business. It is what it is.

But since then, the Texans front office has done an outstanding job. It started by re-signing two of their key guys. CB Kareem Jackson and RT Derek Newton, two players who were so terrible their rookie years that almost no one expected them to even be in the league anymore. Jackson received a fair 4-year deal while Newton was rewarded for his huge step forward last season.

Good teams keep their good young talent and that’s what the Texans did.

But the Texans weren’t done. They had needs on the defensive line, at safety, and a big hole at receiver.

Sep 7, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos safety Rahim Moore (26) reacts during the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Free agency started and the Texans weren’t the ones signing bigger name stars like Suh or Nick Fairley to replace Ryan Pickett. They weren’t signing bigger name safeties like Antrel Rolle, Mike Adams, or Ron Parker to larger and longer deals. And the Texans weren’t going to use all their cap space on either Randall Cobb or Jeremy Maclin.

Instead, we saw the Texans make three very smart moves. Earlier in the weekend they agreed to terms with Rahim Moore on a simple 3-year, $12 million deal. Moore is a perfect fit for the Texans with his top-notch ball skills and his ability to play center field. At just 25, Moore is still coming into his own and the Texans can come away with a huge steal at a cheap price.

Then there’s today signing of Cecil Shorts. Shorts isn’t a receiver that’s going to catapult the Texans to playing in February but he’s a great fit for O’Brien’s offense. Shorts can play all three receiver positions. He’s not the fastest receiver out there but can easily play in the slot and thrive there. He’s got great hands and is a great route runner.

Those two moves themselves would have been solid but then the Texans completed the trifecta by adding Vince Wilfork. Wilfork is perfect for the Texans defense. He’ll thrive next to J.J. Watt and open up more possibilities for Jared Crick and Whitney Mercilus. He’ll also be a perfect tutor last year’s third round pick Louis Nix III, who was on Injured Reserve last season. The move is a two-year deal but the contract is only for $5 million guaranteed, all in the first season which means both parties will likely have a chance to re-evaluate following this season.

All three moves were great additions by GM Rick Smith and the rest of the front office. NT, S, and WR were all big needs for the Texans and now they are mostly filled, though the Texans are expected to add another receiver early in the draft.

Houston Texans Front Office Looking Great Early This Offseason

By Yoni Pollak | Mar 17, 2015