The word around the interwebs states that we should have anywhere from $30-50 million in cap space this year. http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/houston-texans/cap/ We could potentially add more space by cutting Cushing and parting ways with Joseph. That being said, what's the likely hood of signing some combination of Andrew Norwall @ LG, Justin Pugh @ RG, J'wan James @ RT, Trumain Johnson @ CB? We should be able to land at least 2 of those guys right? Watching Brandoon Brooks ball out for the Eagles and Abouye for the Jasgs makes me want to vomit. http://walterfootball.com/freeagents2018all.php
Andrew Norwell | G | Carolina Panthers Cameron Fleming | RT | New England Patriots Zach Line | FB | New Orleans Saints Bashaud Breeland | CB | Washington Redskins Luke Joeckel | OL | Seattle Seahawks
Terrible odds at getting Norwell. Maybe Braxton can recruit him over ... but I don't think he leaves Carolina.
A dream wish list Morgan Burnett Jarvis Landry Malcolm Butler Andrew Norwell Le'veon Bell Demarcus Lawrence with emphasis on Norwell, Butler, and Burnett
Getting Fleming and Kline would be my goal for the OL. Pick the best guard available in the 3rd to split time with Allen. Backup qb is a must. Gabbert, Taylor, or Bridgewater are likely options. Lastly, the secondary. Let JJo test the market, but I believe he would come back on a cheap one year deal. Fuller and Colvin are options which will allow for KJax to move to Safety.
Jawuan James (RT)/LT Cameron Fleming (RT) DJ Fluker(RG) Justin Pugh(LG) None of these guys should break the bank. Pugh would demand the most money but is coming off a back injury so his leverage is not as great. Another option at Guard is Zach Fulton. All are under 26 except Pugh( Norwell would be great but price will be crazy)
Gabbert is trash, Taylor would be looking to start, and Bridgewater is a bust. Sure they'll pick up a QB, but they'll be looking for someone like Fitz to come back on a cheap deal. The team is screwed if Watson isn't healthy and playing at a high level anyway, there's no reason to invest big money in the position. You are basically looking for a Carlos Beltran type situation....only cheap.
4 and 12 No picks in 1st and 2nd This makes any team qualify as bad team Well with a potentially game changer at QB so we have that
Pay them Brian! Spoiler Ranking the top 50 potential free agents in 2018 1. Kirk Cousins, QB | Team: Washington Redskins | Age entering 2018 season: 30 2. Jimmy Garoppolo, QB | Team: San Francisco 49ers | Age entering 2018 season: 26 3. Le'Veon Bell, RB | Team: Pittsburgh Steelers | Age entering 2018 season: 26 4. Drew Brees, QB | Team: New Orleans Saints | Age entering 2018 season: 39 5. DeMarcus Lawrence, DE | Team: Dallas Cowboys | Age entering 2018 season: 26 6. Case Keenum, QB | Team: Minnesota Vikings | Age entering 2018 season: 30 7. Andrew Norwell, G | Team: Carolina Panthers | Age entering 2018 season: 26 Norwell picked a pretty good year to earn his first All-Pro honors. When you look at the five-year, $60 million deal the Browns gave to Kevin Zeitler -- who has never made All-Pro or even the Pro Bowl -- last season, you understand the value Norwell would find on the open market. 8. Ezekiel Ansah, DE | Team: Detroit Lions | Age entering 2018 season: 29 9. Jimmy Graham, TE | Team: Seattle Seahawks | Age entering 2018 season: 31 Although he never matched his early-career production after the 2015 trade to the Seahawks -- in part because of a serious patellar tendon injury that season -- Graham remains a major weapon in the red zone. His 10 touchdown receptions (on only 95 targets) in 2017 are tied for second most in the league. Someone will see major value there. 10. Sheldon Richardson, DL | Team: Seattle Seahawks | Age entering 2018 season: 27 11. Jarvis Landry, WR | Team: Miami Dolphins | Age entering 2018 season: 25 12. Nate Solder, LT | Team: New England Patriots | Age entering 2018 season: 30 Solder finished the regular season on a strong note but is undeniably an inconsistent player who would have never been a candidate to hit the open market if his play had smoothed out. With that said, it's rare for even a capable left tackle to hit free agency. Solder would be a popular target. 13. Trumaine Johnson, CB | Team: Los Angeles Rams | Age entering 2018 season: 28 Johnson earned $30.7 million while playing under the Rams' franchise tag over the past two seasons. He was a reliable starter, but he didn't approach his seven-interception performance of 2015 (he had just one in 2016 and two in 2017) and has yet to make a Pro Bowl. 14. Star Lotulelei, DT | Team: Carolina Panthers | Age entering 2018 season: 28 15. Allen Robinson, WR | Team: Jacksonville Jaguars | Age entering 2018 season: 25 16. Sammy Watkins, WR | Team: Los Angeles Rams | Age entering 2018 season: 25 17. Lamarcus Joyner, S | Team: Los Angeles Rams | Age entering 2018 season: 27 Joyner blossomed under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, notching the first three interceptions of his career and proving to be one of the Rams' best defensive players. His timing, in a contract year, couldn't have been better. 18. Dontari Poe, DT | Team: Atlanta Falcons | Age entering 2018 season: 28 19. Sam Bradford, QB | Team: Minnesota Vikings | Age entering 2018 season: 30 20. Bashaud Breeland, CB | Team: Washington Redskins | Age entering 2018 season: 26 The Redskins might not be able, or willing, to squeeze in the market-level contract Breeland has earned as a four-year starter. They're already paying fellow cornerback Josh Norman an average of $15 million per year, and they have several young players who could step in. That could make Breeland one of the more desirable defensive players available. 21. Aaron Colvin, CB | Team: Jacksonville Jaguars | Age entering 2018 season: 26 Colvin has been an excellent nickel back for the Jaguars but won't be a starter as long as Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye are on the roster. So does that mean Colvin could be looking to play elsewhere, for more money and playing time? It's something to consider. 22. Trey Burton, TE | Team: Philadelphia Eagles | Age entering 2018 season: 26 The understudy to starter Zach Ertz has enough versatility as a blocker and as a receiver -- he has caught 60 passes in the past two seasons -- to merit a starting job elsewhere. During the 2017 regular season, one out of every five of his receptions went for a touchdown. 23. Eric Reid, S | Team: San Francisco 49ers | Age entering 2018 season: 26 Reid will provide another test case for the ongoing impact of NFL player protests during the national anthem. Reid is one of the organizing partners of the initial movement. We all know what happened to his friend, colleague and former teammate Colin Kaepernick. Reid would be a prized target, but even he understands the potential limits on his market. 24. Teddy Bridgewater, QB | Team: Minnesota Vikings | Age entering 2018 season: 25 25. Dion Lewis, RB | Team: New England Patriots | Age entering 2018 season: 27
Spoiler 26. Malcolm Butler, CB | Team: New England Patriots | Age entering 2018 season: 28 Butler's life-changing interception in Super Bowl XLIX catapulted him into a three-year starter. But the Patriots' decision to sign free agent Stephon Gilmore last offseason called into question their long-term plan for Butler. Do they want two relatively highly paid cornerbacks on their roster? Butler isn't a top-five player at his position, but he is better than most who get to the open market. 27. Ryan Jensen, C | Team: Baltimore Ravens | Age entering 2018 season: 27 Jensen emerged as a full-time starter just in time for his contract year, proving to be a nasty blocker and an effective leader. Other than left tackle, upgrading the center position is probably the most effective way to improve an offensive line. 28. Marqise Lee, WR | Team: Jacksonville Jaguars | Age entering 2018 season: 26 29. Paul Richardson, WR | Team: Seattle Seahawks | Age entering 2018 season: 26 30. Terrelle Pryor Sr., WR | Team: Washington Redskins | Age entering 2018 season: 29 31. Carlos Hyde, RB | Team: San Francisco 49ers | Age entering 2018 season: 27 32. Justin Pugh, G | Team: New York Giants | Age entering 2018 season: 28 A poorly timed back injury could mute free-agent interest in a player who could be considered the Giants' best offensive lineman in recent years. He has avoided surgery, but after sitting out eight games in a contract year, teams could try leveraging his value. 33. Nigel Bradham, LB | Team: Philadelphia Eagles | Age entering 2018 season: 29 34. Anthony Hitchens, LB | Team: Dallas Cowboys | Age entering 2018 season: 26 35. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE | Team: New York Jets | Age entering 2018 season: 25 Any team considering an investment in Seferian-Jenkins will have to investigate his considerable off-field history when he was with the Buccaneers and while at the University of Washington. But he seemed to put things together in 2017 for the Jets, catching 50 passes in 13 games -- more than twice his previous career high for a season. 36. Morgan Burnett, S | Team: Green Bay Packers | Age entering 2018 season: 29 Smart and big (6-foot-1), Burnett is in some ways an ideal player to stabilize an inexperienced back end. The biggest drawback has been a history of minor injuries that take him off the field for short stretches. He's missed at least one game in each of his past five seasons. 37. Kyle Fuller, CB | Team: Chicago Bears | Age entering 2018 season: 26 The Bears declined Fuller's fifth-year option for 2018 based on his 2016 knee injury, so the former first-round pick is set to be an unrestricted free agent. He returned in 2017 to start all 16 games, and starting-caliber cornerbacks at his age usually get paid. 38. Rashaan Melvin, CB | Team: Indianapolis Colts | Age entering 2018 season: 28 Melvin broke through in 2017 with three interceptions and 13 passes defensed in 10 starts. Teams crave frames like his (6-foot-2) at the position, and some team -- possibly the Colts -- will step out for him. 39. Kenny Vaccaro, S | Team: New Orleans Saints | Age entering 2018 season: 27 Creative coaches can put Vaccaro into all kinds of productive positions as his career transitions into a hybrid safety/linebacker role. The Saints' salary-cap situation, as well as Brees' pending contract expiration, makes it reasonably possible that Vaccaro will be available on the open market. 40. Adrian Clayborn, DE | Team: Atlanta Falcons | Age entering 2018 season: 30 41. Weston Richburg, C | Team: New York Giants | Age entering 2018 season: 27 A concussion limited Richburg to four games and landed him on injured reserve, a scary long-term injury in the current climate. But he told reporters that he was cleared to play weeks before the season ended. If teams are satisfied with his condition, he would be one of the better offensive linemen available. 42. Jerick McKinnon, RB | Team: Minnesota Vikings | Age entering 2018 season: 26 43. Morris Claiborne, CB | Team: New York Jets | Age entering 2018 season: 28 Claiborne resurrected his career in 2017 simply by remaining on the field. He started 15 games, his highest total since 2012. He has said he wants to return to the Jets, and that might make the most sense for him, but big(ger) corners usually have a market. 44. Avery Williamson, LB | Team: Tennessee Titans | Age entering 2018 season: 26 45. Josh Kline, G | Team: Tennessee Titans | Age entering 2018 season: 28 The former Patriots starter found a home in the Titans' run-oriented scheme over the past two years. Since the start of the 2016 season, during which Kline made 30 starts, the Titans rushed for 4,020 yards -- the third most in the NFL over that span. 46. E.J. Gaines, CB | Team: Buffalo Bills | Age entering 2018 season: 26 Gaines proved a strong competitor and playmaker after being acquired from the Rams in the Watkins deal. Gaines will attract significant interest if the Bills don't retain him. 47. Jordan Matthews, WR | Team: Buffalo Bills | Age entering 2018 season: 26 48. Patrick Robinson, CB | Team: Philadelphia Eagles | Age entering 2018 season: 31 Although he is older than most desirable free agents, Robinson put together a strong season as the Eagles' slot cornerback and should have several more productive years remaining. In 16 games, including eight starts and 673 total plays, he intercepted four passes and defended a total of 18. 49. Jack Mewhort, G | Team: Indianapolis Colts | Age entering 2018 season: 27 A season-ending knee injury in a contract year is far from ideal. Mewhort played only five games in 2017, but assuming good health, he can step in as a more than capable starter. 50. Mike Wallace, WR | Team: Baltimore Ravens | Age entering 2018 season: 32 Honorable mentions Prince Amukamara, CB, Chicago Bears Vontae Davis, CB, free agent Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals Justin Bethel, CB, Arizona Cardinals Josh McCown, QB New York Jets Tahir Whitehead, LB, Detroit Lions Adam Vinatieri, PK, Indianapolis Colts Andre Smith, OL, Cincinnati Bengals
You said pay them Brian and it didn’t even register for a second. Once I realized who you were talking about, I got excited.
