Houston Texans Complete 2015 Draft Preview
By Hayden Winks
Oct 9, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans receiver
Andre Johnson(80) catches a touchdown pass in the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Offseason Losses:
Let’s get this draft guide started with a quick recap of the 2015 offseason. When the Texans went into the free agency period, they were in a little bit of a jam with the cap space. Andre Johnson was highly overpaid given his age, declining performance, and the emergence of DeAndre Hopkins. Arguably the biggest move of the offseason for the Texans was releasing Andre Johnson. It was a smart move as it saved millions of dollars against the cap. Unfortunately he stayed within the division and he will enjoy having a great quarterback for the first time in his long and successful career.
Another way the Texans were able to create cap space was by trading Ryan Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets. After an average, but expected, 2014 season, Fitz was only able to bring in a conditional 7th round pick. To be fair, the Texans should be surprised that they were able to get any pick for a true backup level quarterback. This almost guaranteed that the Texans were going to re-sign Ryan Mallett.
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Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn’t the only Texans quarterback to be traded. Case Keenum was traded away to the St. Louis Rams in exchange for a 2016 7th round pick. Another surprising trade that only proves how valuable NFL quarterbacks are in today’s league. Keenum hasn’t proved that he could one day be a starting quarterback, so getting a future pick is a win for Houston.
The last notable loss in the offseason was longtime Texans center Chris Myers. He was the starting center for the last seven years and never missed a start. His contract was taking too big of a hit against the cap so the Texans were forced to release him. With this move, Ben Jones will slide to starting center and Xavier Su’a-Filo will be plugged into starting left guard.
Next: Offseason Acquisitions