Houston Texans: Why the team decided not to sign Ryan Schraeder

The Houston Texans reportedly were interested in offensive tackle Ryan Schraeder but decided to go in a different direction. What gives? Let’s look.

The Houston Texans free agency period has not been the most exciting but they’ve signed guys that could provide a valuable impact to the team. There haven’t truly been any household names the team has signed but sometimes it’s not about that, it’s all about finding the right players that fit with the team’s mantra.

Besides, who knows what kind of money Jadeveon Clowney‘s contract will command? I understand that they have to be cautious with their spending, whether or not they decide to move forward with his $17 million franchise tag or hopefully achieve some savings for 2019 if a long-term pact is reached.

But since free agency opened some two weeks ago the team has signed seven guys to the roster. They are: Tashaun Gipson, Bradley Roby, Briean Boddy-Calhoun, A.J. McCarron, Matt Kalil and Darren Fells.

All of these men wield a ton of potential — some more than others — and if the cards are played right, they will flourish in their role with the Houston Texans.

The Houston Texans have been taking visits by various players and one interesting visit to note was when they brought offensive tackle Ryan Schraeder in for evaluation.

The 6-foot-7, 300-pound Schraeder had been drawing interest from both the Houston Texans and the Minnesota Vikings so there was some slight competition for his services. However, Schraeder left Houston without a deal and the Houston Texans decided to ink Kalil to a one-year deal.

At the time of this writing, Schraeder remains a free agent which certainly alludes to concerns that teams may have about him.

Let’s dive into the numbers.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Schraeder had a 63.6 overall, a 62.9 pass block and 67.3 run block grade through 865 snaps at right tackle for the Atlanta Falcons last season.

Those numbers are hardly impressive but decent enough for him to be signed by a team that needs his help. Schraeder was recently cut from the Falcons as his now-former counterpart, Ty Sambrailo, was signed to a three-year, $14.3 million extension this off season.

Schraeder, 30, an undrafted free agent out of Valdosta State in 2013, was working off a five-year, $31.5 million extension that he signed back in 2016. But with his performance in a decline since then, it ultimately sealed his fate with his contract as well as his future with the Falcons.

This definitely ensured that Schraeder would have to be on the move, looking for his next gig.

This move obviously indicates their confidence in Seantrel Henderson being the better fit with their schemes and that they would likely be able to find what they need in the NFL Draft next month.

PFF has Schraeder ranked just 55th out of 61 eligible tackles with at least 559 snaps and is

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ranked just one slot higher than Julién Davenport last season. With those numbers, the Houston Texans probably would rather try to give Davenport another go off the bench in hopes that he’d improve his numbers in 2019.

And here’s some additional food for thought — Schraeder was ranked 37th out of 49 tackles with at least 363 snaps in pass blocking efficiency, with a grade of a 96.4.

Considering that the Falcons have one of the best pass-blocking units in the NFL, it’s obviously clear that he was one of the weakest links. The Falcons’ offensive line was ranked 5th in PBE with a score of 88.1.

All things considered, the Houston Texans likely felt that he wouldn’t be able to improve the team any more than the guys that they already have. Although there’s a possibility that the Texans can change direction, if they wanted Schraeder, they would’ve signed him already.

I honestly can’t wait until the draft because I really do feel that the Texans can hit on a effective tackle in that realm.

Let’s hope for the best.

Next. Texans: Three offensive tackles to target in the 2019 Draft. dark

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

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