Houston Texans: 5 Ideal Free Agent Acquisitions
Jordan Howard – Running Back (Philadelphia Eagles), Age: 25
Key 2019 Stats: 119 carries, 525 yards, 4.4 YPC, 6 TDs, 0 fumbles, 10 recs, 69 rec yards, 1 TD
Let it be known, I’m all aboard the Carlos Hyde hype train. I was pleasantly surprised with the incumbent running back’s first season with the Texans, as he topped 1,000 yards with ease. With that being said, the running back position is becoming significantly devalued and many teams believe they can replace their backs with bargain-bin free agents or running backs still on their team-friendly rookie-scale deals.
There are exciting options available like Derrick Henry, Kenyan Drake, or Melvin Gordon. However, shelling out $5-10 million for a player that could possibly deteriorate in value in a few years might not be a wise investment.
Why not go for a player who is still fresh after a year as a second option, but still only three years removed from an 1,300 yard season?
Jordan Howard is often a forgotten man, especially after his trade from the Chicago Bears to the Philadelphia Eagles last season, but hasn’t missed a step when on the field. His PFF overall grade is 69.0, which is not bad considering he was overtaken by rookie Miles Sanders midway through the year.
If Hyde is either not re-signed or prices himself out of the Texans’ range, Howard is a great safety net option in free agency. He can be the downhill runner to accompany Duke Johnson’s pass-catching prowess, bringing balance to the backfield attack.
Texans likely won’t be able to sign more than a couple of players from this list, but they all present solid value for the team’s clearest needs with free agency less than a week away.