Does Antonio Brown release affect Houston Texans?

Antonio Brown has been officially released — now will Bill O’Brien and the Houston Texans be calling the wide receiver?

Last season the Houston Texans had too many injuries at wide receiver, because besides DeAndre Hopkins, many of the other wide receivers on the roster were injured and missed multiple games. That is where recently released Antonio Brown comes into play.

I get it, Brown brings a lot to the table when it comes to his overall attitude and actions as of late, especially in recent seasons publicly with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season and this preseason/training camp with the Oakland Raiders.

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Brown got so bad with the Raiders he was fined multiple times, had unexcused absences, and in reports, got into an altercation with his general manager Mike Mayock. Brown even made videos about his situation, and on Saturday morning it was reported he wanted his release after the Raiders pulled all of his guaranteed money after fining him over $200,000.

Whew, let’s all take a deep breath after that, and figure out the next part. Would Texans head coach and de facto general manager Bill O’Brien be desperate enough to give ol’ AB a phone call to see where he is in his quest to play in the NFL?

Another question is do the Texans really need him on their roster in 2019? The Texans already have the very best wide receiver in the NFL in DeAndre Hopkins, and behind him are Will Fuller, Keke Coutee, DeAndre Carter and Kenny Stills.

Looking at that roster entering the first game of the regular season this Monday night against the New Orleans Saints, the answer would be no, the Texans don’t need him on the roster. In taking an even closer look at the roster of the Texans, Fuller does have a history of being injured, including last season with a torn ACL.

Coutee is battling injuries now and might not play on Monday night, and last season he missed many games with a hamstring issue that stuck around all season. Carter was fine as a rookie playing in 14 games with the Texans and Philadelphia Eagles, and the recently added Stills played in 15 games last season with the Miami Dolphins.

If the Texans hadn’t added Stills last Saturday in the Laremy Tunsil trade, adding Brown would be much more enticing to look over, but even if Coutee is unable to play, the Texans can still have Hopkins, Fuller and Stills on the field at the same time, and that could be a fun trio to watch.

But with the Texans, injuries will most likely happen, as Fuller has yet to play a full season in any of his first three seasons, so history isn’t on the Texans’ side with Fuller not missing any games in ’19.

Again, with Brown, even though he’s had six straight seasons of at least 1,200 yards receiving and 100-plus receptions, are those great numbers — though there wouldn’t be as many sharing targets with Hopkins — worth bringing all that comes with Brown for maybe a one-year contract?

Another thing is does O’Brien want to have Brown on the roster, and if he doesn’t get his way, how would that affect Hopkins, Watson and others on the team?

As of right now, the Texans should not pick up the phone and call Brown — though they do have the means to do so with their current salary cap situation — but with O’Brien and being in “win now” mode, with the team not having a general manager, who knows what the Texans will do.

Smart money is they will probably lay low on bringing in Brown with all the talent they currently have at wide receiver, but the injury issue could be in the minds of the Texans front office, too.