Houston Texans: Why cutting Jaelen Strong was a big mistake

The Houston Texans made a ton of roster moves over the past couple of days but the one that stands out is that they cut a guy that could’ve contributed heavily.

The Houston Texans have been shuffling people in and out, trying to make this team better as they march toward the ultimate goal of having a winning football team. The deck is stacked up against them this season but with all of the talent that this team has, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be contending for another AFC South Championship as well as a respectable playoff run.

The offensive line is the most glaring weakness and the signing of free agent guard/tackle Jah Reid will hopefully help shore some that up. He did not have a good season in 2016 but there’s optimism that he brings it like he did in 2015 where started 11 games for the Kansas Chiefs on their line.

But anyway, the Houston Texans decided recently that wide receiver Jaelen Strong‘s services were no longer required. This somewhat surprised me considering the issues that we have with depth at this position. The former 2015 third-round pick’s large frame plus speedy demeanor, his best attributes, could’ve made our attack even more lethal on the field.

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But yet he continued to be underutilized by the Houston Texans coaching staff. Strong recently served a one-game suspension — he missed our match up against the Jacksonville Jaguars — for a marijuana possession charge dating back to February 2016.

Could that have had enough impact on the Houston Texans deciding to cut him? Possibly and I do think it’s personal even though the Houston Texans will tell you that it isn’t. I know in my heart that’s reason why he’s not here and somebody ruffled some feathers whether it was he or the franchise itself. I just understand why different individuals are held to different standards.

Brian Cushing will be missing 10 games this season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy — a serious offense — and the team will welcome him with open arms when he returns later in the season. You know and I know that he should be cut from the team because this is his second offense and he hasn’t had the high-level of performance in at least a half a decade.

Benardrick McKinney and Zach Cunningham have performed extremely well against the Cincinnati Bengals last week and they’ll continue to do exceptional things for this team. But yet Strong isn’t seen as a valuable asset.

Hell, Jaelen didn’t even get a chance to excel. It just behooves me that this is a reality and it’s clearly obvious that the McNairs love have Cushing on this team no matter what the consequences are. It’s sad but true.

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As I expected, his opportunity to make his mark will come quick. As soon as the Houston Texans released him, the Jags claimed him off waivers. I bet he’s going to kill it too just prove his former team wrong, just wait and see. I’ll be keeping an eye on his progress through his season and especially when we face them in Week 15 (Dec. 17) on the road.

Strong, 23, caught 28 balls for 292 yards — 10.4 yards per catch — through 19 games — three starts — in his three seasons with the Texans. He was targeted 48 times.

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