Houston Texans: Evaluating the risk/reward of re-signing Will Fuller

What are the Houston Texans’ risks and rewards of re-signing Will Fuller?

It is time to rejoice some, Houston Texans fans, as the latest Texans news is professional sports will be allowed to properly resume in Texas starting May 31. Now how that will hold to the entire NFL in terms of a fully functioning season has yet to be seen, but for now, any positive news will be taken.

As we wait for the Texans’ long-awaited return to NRG Parkway, there is still so much to be discussed, including schedule matchups, position battles and more Texans news as it comes, and today we are going to discuss wide receiver Will Fuller and what the risks and rewards of re-signing him would be.

The former 21st overall pick for the Texans in 2016 has been a stellar asset to the team and headache for opposing defenses when he is healthy and available. Unfortunately, that “when” has been hit or miss over his first four seasons in the NFL, as he has only played in 42 regular-season games out of 64 possible contests.

While 65-percent is OK at best availability, going forward the Texans will be hoping for more availability with the departure of DeAndre Hopkins and Fuller potentially assuming the WR1 job.

The ultimate factor will be health, which isn’t always in the player’s hands as sometimes the “football gods” are just flat-out unkind. As for Will Fuller, let’s take a look at whether the reward is worth the risk for the wide receiver as he enters his contract season.

Houston Texans News: Reward of re-signing Will Fuller

Houston Texans fans are still reeling from the shock and hurt from trading Deandre Hopkins back in March, but the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted Deshaun Watson‘s weapons for the upcoming season.

Will Fuller should lead the way going into the 2020 season as Watson’s go-to man. We have seen the chemistry flourish between Watson and Fuller when they step on the field together and sparks fly.

As stated earlier, while he was on the field Fuller might not have been the biggest threat because of Nuk, but defensive coordinators always had to respect his speed and talent. Will Fuller is a talented player with similar skills and speed to Tyreek Hill, John Ross and Corey Davis, but with a much better route tree and not completely dependent on the go route.

When Will Fuller is at his absolute best and firing on all cylinders, the Texans news headlines are him having games like his 217-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons. Fuller’s route running is probably considered underrated because the offense ran through Hopkins the last five seasons. It was, in all fairness, Hopkins’ world, and he overshadowed a lot of other key offensive moments that might not get highlighted.

Now that we see the reward for keeping Fuller’s talent around, it is time to look at the risk of a new contract as well.

Houston Texans News: Risk of re-signing Will Fuller

As talked about earlier, the football gods might not always be on your side. Injuries are a natural, but unfortunate, part of sports. We as fans and spectators have been robbed of budding and great careers due to them.

In football alone, greats like Barry Sanders, Steve Young and Troy Aikman have had careers that could’ve gone longer if injuries didn’t play a part in it. Other careers as recent as Alex Smith have come to a sudden stop, as he is making a strong recovery after a catastrophic knee injury.

Will Fuller has dealt with a myriad of injuries during his career, as said, playing in 42 of 64 eligible regular-season games. With most injuries being hamstring-, groin- and knee-related, it is easy to understand Texans fans’ unease when considering a long-term deal.

As Watson approaches his next long-term contract, the Texans will also have to weigh how they truly feel about Fuller.

In a league where yesterday doesn’t matter too much and it is more “here and now” than ever, the Texans news for a new contract involving Fuller needs to be smart and cautious.

Will Fuller’s health may never be on his side while playing, but it is hard to ignore his impact when he is on the field. Going forward, a smart deal that’ll benefit both parties in case of future injuries could be on its way, as Fuller staying with the Texans could prove to be a great reward.