Houston Texans: Reviewing Duane Brown Trade After 2019 Draft

Reviewing the Houston Texans trade that sent Pro Bowl left tackle, Duane Brown, to the Seattle Seahawks’ in exchange for future draft picks.

Two seasons had to pass for the Houston Texans, but they have finally put names to both of their draft picks they acquired in trading their All-Pro left tackle Duane Brown to the Seattle Seahawks. Texans general manager at the time, Rick Smith, decided to find a new team for Brown after they were reluctant to extend him to a new contract.

The move was viewed as a bad breakup between the Texans’ front office and the player as Smith ended up trying to save a lost situation after they were bad blood between both sides for reasons beyond football.

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According to Texans former Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster’s Now What? podcast, Brown wanted to extend his contract with the Texans and essentially rework his current deal that held no guaranteed money moving forward. However, Smith was leery of Brown’s future after suffering a quadriceps injury and the infamous drug test that he failed due to contaminated meat while visiting Mexico but was later cleared of any wrongdoing.

Texans acquired Seahawks’ 2018 third round draft selection and 2019 second round pick. They drafted offensive lineman Martinas Rankin in 2018 and cornerback Lonnie Johnson in this past draft.

The jury is still out on whether both players will pan out at their respective positions, but the Texans addressed two positions that needed to be upgraded entering the 2019 season.

The trade itself was a good trade given the circumstances and the fractured relationships between both sides. Texans were able to get good draft compensation and add depth to positions of weakness through the draft.

Rankin was drafted to be one of the Texans starting tackles down the road, but the coaching staff determined his skill set was better suited for him to move inside and allow him to push for one of the starting guard positions this upcoming season.

On the other hand, Johnson has yet to play a down in the NFL after getting drafted in the second round from Kentucky, but his intriguing attributes for the cornerback position give him an opportunity to see playing time in his rookie season.

Having the Seahawks’ second rounder allowed the Texans to draft two talented players in the second round. They were able to draft Johnson at cornerback and reinforce their offensive line with their own second rounder by selecting Max Scharping from Northern Illinois.