3 free agent offensive tackles Texans should consider signing
Kelvin Beachum
I just wrote an article last week on how the Texans need to think about signing Kelvin Beachum now that the Jaguars have decided to not pick up his option.
Beachum didn’t have a great season in 2016 after coming off of an ACL injury, but it also sounds like the Jags weren’t smart in releasing him.
Alfie Crow of Big Cat Country wrote the following after Beachum was released:
"Beachum had a solid season coming back from an ACL tear in 2015 and entering the 2017 season improvement in his play should be expected wherever he plays. Fact of the matter is, the Jaguars created an unnecessary hole on their roster. They had a solid left tackle and now they have to spend unnecessary risk and resources trying to not only replace him but get better."
This tells me that while Beachum wasn’t great, his play didn’t warrant him getting cut.
Beachum is actually PFF’s 9th ranked free agent offensive lineman.
"The Jaguars decided to move on from Beachum after one season. He had easily the worst season of his career, but he should still be worth a look. Beachum’s poor performance came in his first year returning from an ACL injury sustained early in the 2015 season, as well as his first in a different offensive system. Prior to the injury, he had a breakout year in 2014 when he was the fifth-ranked tackle in the NFL. He had a rocky start to the 2015 season, as he allowed four total QB pressures in the season opener against the Patriots, but he settled down and allowed just two over his next four-plus games before the season-ending injury. At age 27, he is still young and worth taking a chance on with limited guaranteed money in hopes that he can get closer to his 2014 level."
Whenever a player, especially an offensive tackle is coming off of a year in which they rehabbed from an ACL injury leading up to the season, you almost have to consider their first season back from injury as a grace period, because it’s very rare that a player is back to their normal selves right away.
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The other thing is that Beachum struggled at left tackle for the Jags. He might be a lot better at right tackle, where he can certainly help the Houston Texans.
Another plus to signing Beachum is that he be an inexpensive option that could end up really helping the Texans.