House of Houston
Fansided

Houston Texans: Three wide receivers to trade for to replace Will Fuller

By Brian K. Patterson

Houston Texans chairman Cal McNair and head coach Bill O'Brien (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
Houston Texans chairman Cal McNair and head coach Bill O'Brien (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 30: Golden Tate #15 of the Detroit Lions makes a touchdown run after catching a pass in the first quarter of a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on September 30, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 30: Golden Tate #15 of the Detroit Lions makes a touchdown run after catching a pass in the first quarter of a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on September 30, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Player #3: Golden Tate

Truly one of my favorite wide receivers to watch, Golden Tate decided to take the riches and drop himself in the oblivion of being in the Motor City.  He was a fierce weapon back in his early days with the Seattle Seahawks but has been mostly begotten nationally as the Detroit Lions just don’t get as much exposure as the Seahawks do.

That’s too bad because he’s still a damn good receiver and still should be considered a deep-ball threat on any given team.  However, younger counterparts in Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay are being brought to the forefront and his targets continue to tumble year-over-year.  He has gone from being targeted 15 times in Week 1 to just six last Sunday against the Dolphins.

It’s only going to be a matter of time before Tate will have third-wheel status so I think it would be best for the Texans to rescue him out of that situation.  He still can stick-and-move quite well and would be a suitable complement for Coutee as well as a solid, temporary replacement for Fuller.

However, PFF has Tate graded with one of the lowest drop grades among wide receivers at a 48.1 (142nd).  Ewwwww.

Tate will be a free agent next season as he’s on the back-end of a five-year, $31 million deal he

More from House of Houston

signed with the Lions back in 2014.  He will make $7 million in 2018 so with things being just at the midpoint of the season, the cap charge to the Texans would be somewhere around $3.5 million.

I think Tate could be had for a 5th rounder as well as it will help them rebuild for the future.  With Lions being in a similar situation as the Bucs, in tightly-contested race in the NFC North, they likely feel that have a shot at making the playoffs.

The division winner isn’t as clear-cut with the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears as members.  All it takes is one team to get hot and the riches of a playoff berth will be showered upon them.  Plus, it’s tough not to count out Aaron Rodgers, no matter what talent he has surrounding him.  So for that reason, the Lions may need some convincing — and a bit of schmoozing — to have the Texans take Tate off their hands.

I think the Texans should as he represents the best fit for this team and the most viable deal that can be made out of the three mentioned.

Tate, 30, has 37 receptions for 467 yards — 12.6 yards per catch — with three touchdowns in six games, including three starts, in 2018.

Next. Four things about Bill O'Brien that will drive you crazy. dark

So that’s my stand, what’s yours?  Are these guys options the Texans should undertake or should they stay in-house?  Please feel free to comment below.

For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus, subscribe
to PFF’s EDGE or ELITE subscriptions at ProFootballFocus.com.

Home/Houston Texans