Texans Making All The Right Moves So Far
By Yoni Pollak
The Houston Texans entered the offseason with plenty of holes and GM Rick Smith and company have done a great job filling them up.
Brock Osweiler is the newest quarterback in town. The former Denver Broncos backup then starter then backup quarterback left Colorado for NRG Stadium where he will be the unquestioned starting quarterback for the Houston Texans. Osweiler’s numbers weren’t sexy in Denver, but he finished with a 5-2 record, including big wins against the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals.
Many Texans fans have differing opinions on Osweiler, whether or not he’ll actually be good enough to live out his contract or simply be cut after two years. One thing is certain for me; by signing Osweiler the Texans finally have a direction at quarterback, rather than going with average-at-best options at quarterback. And by signing Osweiler, the Texans made the right move.
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Lamar Miller was also the perfect signing to replace Arian Foster. Miller has the ability to do almost everything Foster can do, but can also hit the home run Foster wasn’t always able to break with his lack of breakaway speed. The former Dolphins running back has little tread on his tires and is a major threat out of the backfield as well. Texans fans are accustomed to stud running back play and I don’t believe we’ll miss a beat in 2016.
I’ll admit, it was a bit of shock to see the Texans let Brandon Brooks and Ben Jones walk this offseason. Still, the Texans replaced them with Jeff Allen and Tony Bergstrom, two capable replacements. Some believe Allen can be better than Brooks, though I remain a bit skeptical for the time being. Bergstrom will likely battle Greg Mancz and potentially another draft pick to start at center.
All four of those signings were done on the same day, but the Texans weren’t done following that historic day. Even though they signed Lamar Miller, the Texans made sure to bring back running back Jonathan Grimes. Grimes has produced well when given the opportunity and shares a similar skillset to that of Miller. Miller and Grimes, along with Alfred Blue and Akeem Hunt, give the Texans a nice backfield with some excellent speed.
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Rahim Moore failed the Texans last season, but the Texans hope to have better luck with the signing of Antonio Allen. The former Jets safety is recovering from a torn achilles injury but should be ready to play this year. It’s a cheap one-year deal for Allen, who will need to prove he’s healthy and capable again. Allen has good range and is a great tackler, something the Texans struggled to get out of Moore last season. The former 7th round pick figures to play many snaps for the Texans secondary and should help improve the special teams as well.
Free agency isn’t over but the Texans front office has done a great job revamping the franchise this month. There’s still cap room and quality free agents available if the Texans opt to fill a few more holes. But even if they’re done, Texans fans should be quite excited for what’s to come in 2016.
Click here for all the latest on the Texans’ offseason.