3 free agent offensive tackles Texans should consider signing
Ricky Wagner
One of the top offensive tackles getting ready to hit the open market is 27 year-old right tackle Ricky Wagner.
Of course Wagner may not be as talented as Whitworth, but he’s eight years younger and could possibly help the Houston Texans over the course of the next five years.
Wagner was listed as the 7th best offensive lineman on PFF’s top 10 free agents.
"Wagner has been a starter for the Ravens for three seasons now, and his play has been all over the place during that time. His best season came in 2014 when he just missed the top-10 in overall grade, but did rank eighth as a pass blocker, along with an above-average run-blocking grade. Wagner is coming off a similar performance in 2016, with just slight steps back in both aspects of blocking. Sandwiched between those two seasons was a disastrous year in which Wagner allowed a career-high 52 total QB pressures, 20 more than his next-highest season. He also struggled as a run blocker on a fairly regular basis. Wagner very well may be the player we saw in 2014 and 2016, but teams will also need to be wary of what exactly happened in 2015 that caused such a stark drop in performance."
Wagner was the 18th ranked offensive tackle for the 2016 NFL season, according to Pro Football Focus. He finished the season with a grade of 84.5. He had a rating of 87.8 for pass blocking and 69.9 for run blocking.
Wagner’s inconsistency over the past few years is a concern, but you have to wonder if a change in scenery and coaching could do him some good. He would be able to come in and learn from a veteran like left tackle Duane Brown.