The Houston Texans could use an upgrade at the cornerback position with free agency right around the corner.
The Houston Texans could be in the market to improve their current core of cornerbacks with both of their former starters becoming unrestricted free agents once the new NFL season officially starts this March 18th.
Bradley Roby and Johnathan Joseph are hitting free agency at different points of their careers; Roby will still have several suitors at 27 years of age meanwhile Joseph is entering the twilight of his career as he turns 36 at the start of the 2020 season.
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Roby demonstrated a lot of talent in his short stint in Houston, but injuries limited his availability through the 2019 season. Roby’s decision to leave for greener pastures after playing his first five years in Denver now appears to be the right decision, but time will tell how strongly the Texans pursue in retaining him after his one year deal expires.
Texans could enter the sweepstakes for another former Bronco in Chris Harris Jr. as both sides were unable to hammer out a long term extension beyond the previous season. Houston was reportedly in talks before the trade deadline to acquire Harris before they redirected their efforts in completing the acquisition of Gareon Conley from the Oakland Raiders.
Landing Harris would not only elevate the Texans secondary with an experienced defender in the locker room, but he could provide Houston with a cornerback capable of helping their lackluster pass defense that ranked 29th in the league.
Although Harris had a down year in production by allowing a 67.1 completion rate, the former four-time Pro Bowler could benefit from a fresh start with a different organization that is willing to give him a lucrative extension.
The Texans are entering this offseason with a clear need for a boundary cornerback and a slot cornerback with Vernon Hargreaves III released before he was slated to earn close to $10 million in the fifth-year option of his rookie-scale deal. Texans can allocate the resources that Hargreaves was slated to earn in his final year to a talented defender like Harris.
Harris has the tools to play both positions the Texans need most in the secondary, and he checks the versatility criteria that Bill O’Brien covets from football players.
Adding Harris could be a tall task with the long line of suitors that will make their pitch, but signing him would be better than any rookie cornerback the Texans could theoretically get with their first pick in the second round of the 2020 draft.