Would Todd Gurley make sense for the Houston Texans?

Rumors are Todd Gurley could be traded this offseason. Would it be smart for the Houston Texans to make a move for the star running back?

Could the Houston Texans decide to go all-in and trade for Todd Gurley, as he is guaranteed $13 million for the 2020 season? Would he be worth the amount of money he is owed, and exactly what would you offer for Gurley if you were the Texans and were interested?

A lot of questions are being asked in the above paragraph, but Gurley could make the Texans an better offense. Imagine an offense with Deshaun Watson at quarterback, DeAndre Hopkins at wide receiver, Laremy Tunsil as the left tackle and Gurley at running back.

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That could be a very dangerous offense for opposing teams to battle each and every week, and it would be an offense in which Gurley wouldn’t have to be the main focal point, but one where he could have success paired with Duke Johnson.

Then again, there are two red flags, and those are the aforementioned $13 million owed in ’20 (which would make him the second-highest-paid player on the roster) and the fact he has been hampered with a knee injury for the past couple years.

Those are not just red flags, but huge hurdles that must be cleared if any type of trade were to ever be made between the Los Angeles Rams and the Texans.

Looking back at the ’19 season, Gurley had his worst total yards rushing in a season with 857 yards on 223 carries in 15 games played. Gurley averaged 14.9 carries per game, 3.8 yards per carry and 57.1 yards per game. Gurley rushed for 12 touchdowns and also caught 31 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns.

Gurley failed to rush for 100 yards in a game all season and never had more than 25 carries in a game. Gurley only had 20-plus carries three times, and the first occassion in the ’19 season was Week 11, as the Rams were protecting his knee and wanted to reduce the risk of injury.

There is a chance the Texans could also not be interested at all, and that is where there is a possibility of re-signing Carlos Hyde, whom the Texans traded for during the ’19 offseason when Lamar Miller was injured in the preseason.

Hyde in ’19 played in 16 games where he rushed for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns on 245 carries. Hyde had 15.3 attempts per game, with 4.4 yards per carry average and he totaled 66.9 yards per game. Hyde also caught 10 receptions for 42 yards and no touchdowns.

Most of the Texans’ receiving out of the backfield was done by Duke Johnson, who had 44 receptions for 410 yards, averaging 9.3 yards per reception and 25.6 yards per game. Johnson also caught three touchdown passes and had one reception for 20-plus yards. Another stat of Johnson is 18 of his 44 receptions went for a first down.

After thinking about it — and even though there is so much potential of past success by Gurley — the price of a draft choice that the Texans can’t afford to lose, plus the $13 million for one season, wouldn’t make sense for Houston to embark on a trade for Gurley.

As much as it would be exciting to gain a player like Gurley, the price will be steep, and to be honest, the draft has some very talented running backs who will be available in the second round of the ’20 NFL Draft, who are younger and have cheaper contracts.

If the Texans make a trade this offseason, they should focus on defense if they want a superstar-level player, and look to the draft or free agency when it comes to the running back position for the 2020 NFL season.