Grading Houston Texans free agent deal for Bradley Roby
The Houston Texans lost one cornerback, but with free agency they have signed another as Bradley Roby is now with the franchise.
Welcome to another one-yer deal or “prove it” type of deal for the Houston Texans and their secondary as they’ve reached an agreement with free agent cornerback Bradley Roby.
Roby comes to the Texans after five seasons with the Denver Broncos. Roby is a former first round pick out of Ohio State back in 2014, and since day one has been expected to do big things and be a productive player in the NFL.
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The cornerback played in 79 regular season games, starting 29 of those games in the secondary of the Broncos. In those games Roby totaled seven interceptions with 60 passes defensed and seven forced fumbles.
Roby also during his five years in Denver totaled one touchdown on a fumble recovery, two touchdowns off interceptions and even had three sacks.
This past season Roby played and started in 15 games, finishing the year with 12 passes defensed, and 50 combined tackles and one tackle for loss.
Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reported that Roby turned down offers in the following post on Twitter:
Klis of 9News also quoted Roby on if the Broncos tried to keep him with their franchise:
Now what does all of this mean for the Texans and their secondary in 2019? Apparently the Texans thought more of Roby than the Broncos to give him a “prove it” deal comparable to the same way Houston did last season with Tyrann Mathieu last offseason. That worked out well for the Mathieu and the Texans had one solid season from Matheu. After his “prove it” deal, Mathieu got a three-year, $42 million contract from the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason.
Adding Roby to the secondary I believe puts the Texans in a better spot than they were at the position a year ago. There is nothing better for the Texans than to have a player who is in a contract year that wants to prove his worth to a new team and to the rest of the league too. Houston signed Roby as they let Kareem Jackson walk after nine seasons with the franchise.
Houston adds a player who is not only 26-years-old for the 2019 season, but a player who can cause issues for the opponents, of the Texans. To be honest, the more players the franchise can add to the secondary to stop AFC South quarterbacks that include Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts), Nick Foles (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Marcus Mariota (Tennessee Titans) than that is a good move.
The Texans gain Roby on not a long-term deal which is fine too, but they could end up losing Roby next offseason. Though there is still some work to be done, the Texans have a player on the team who wants to prove himself to the league, and that can go a very long way in success gained.
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That could be a dangerous combo for opponents of the Texans if Roby plays above his new contract and really adds to the secondary in 2019.
Free Agent Grade: B