Texans should sign cornerback Trumaine Johnson

The Houston Texans have a chance to improve their secondary. As a result of a trade, a top tier cornerback has become available.

The Rams are acquiring Marcus Peters from the Chiefs which means that Trumaine Johnson is potentially an option in free agency. Peters arrival in Los Angeles signals that moving on from Johnson is more than likely. Johnson has been an important part of the Rams defense and could provide similar production for the Texans.

Johnson has intercepted 18 passes in his career including 10 in the last three seasons. Defending passes is an integral part of playing cornerback in the NFL and Johnson is prolific at it. Successfully defending 67 passes in his career, 41 of which have come since 2015. Johnson has become one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL.

The fact that he is now (most likely) available is good news for the Texans. Houston needs to upgrade their secondary in the worst way. Houston allowed the ninth-most yards per game to opposing quarterbacks (237.4). The Texans allowed was the second-most passing touchdowns in the league last season (30). Houston also allowed the most passes of 40 or more yards in 2017 (17).

It must be mentioned that Johnson will not come cheap. As a result of his franchise tag, Johnson made over $16.7 million last season. To convince Johnson to come to Houston the Texans will have to pay him handsomely. A contract of an amount similar to this will certainly get the deal done.

Improving the secondary is a must for Houston. Johnathan Joseph is past his prime and Johnson is a clear upgrade. It is in the best interest of the Texans to move on from Joseph and sign Johnson. Johnson will potentially cost twice as much as Joseph but Johnson is younger and capable of playing at higher level at this point in time. Signing Johnson would signal a new era for the Texans secondary and show the rest of the league they are serious about competing in 2018.