Texans interested in free agent cornerback Richard Sherman
The Houston Texans have expressed interest in former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. The free agent cornerback was released earlier this week. Josina Anderson Tweeted out the teams interested in Sherman Saturday morning.
I spoke to Richard Sherman last night, he told me after being informed of his release by the #Seattle Seahawks, he has received preliminary interest from the #49ers, #Titans, #Lions, #Raiders, #Texans, #Bucs and #Packers. https://t.co/QtAB9T3sOt
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 10, 2018
Sherman has been one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL since 2011. In seven seasons Sherman has 32 interceptions, two of which have been touchdowns. His eight interceptions in 2013 is his career-high. Sherman has successfully defended 104 passes in his career, including a career-high 24 in 2012.
During his injury-shortened 2017 campaign Sherman intercepted two passes and defended seven. Pro Football Focus grades his season as above average and ranks him as the 33rd best cornerback. This is the type of improvement the Texans could desperately need for next season. Sherman would be an instant upgrade for a secondary unit that was sub-par in 2017.
Acquiring Sherman may not be as easy as it sounds. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport Tweeted that Sherman has an affinity for the west coast. Which could mean Sherman does not end up in Houston.
Former #Seahawks CB Richard Sherman has a strong affinity for the West Coast, and the scheme #49ers DC Robert Saleh runs is a familiar one. As long as the Niners are comfortable with his health, this one makes sense. Sherman would be close to where he played at Stanford.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2018
Sherman is visiting San Francisco today per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Richard Sherman could be seeing Seattle twice a year:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2018
Sherman is scheduled to meet today with 49ers’ officials, sources tell ESPN. 49ers want to make sure Sherman healing from injuries, and if both sides pleased with meeting, they will try to get contract done, per sources.
If somehow Sherman were to choose Houston rather than San Francisco that would be a huge win. Houston needs new defensive backs desperately. While the poor play can be blamed on the group as a whole Houston still needs to address the secondary. Injuries to key pass rushers made it more difficult for the Texans cornerbacks in coverage. Due to having to cover longer more players tend to get open on broken plays. This happened time and time again in 2017.
How much of an upgrade is Sherman for the Texans
Considering that Johnathan Joseph has been declining for some time now, Sherman would be able to take this unit to the next level. Kareem Jackson and Kevin Johnson also struggled this past season. Any move that could lessen their potential negative impact on a game is a good one.
Sherman is coming off an achilles injury, but in the modern NFL it is not as big of a deal as it used to be. It is entirely possible that Sherman returns to his former form and is a contributor next season. With how many have played up the angle of his decline it is hard to imagine that a competitive person like Sherman will not be ready to perform at a high level. This would allow the Texans to take the next step next season and truly contend in the AFC South.