The Houston Texans news is they and Timmy Jernigan have no deal, so who is next?
It could have been very exciting Houston Texans news to have had Timmy Jernigan on the roster for the 2020 NFL season. All seemed to have been set for the nose tackle to join a defensive line that included future Hall of Fame selection J.J. Watt and others, but it is not happening now.
On Twitter Tuesday night, Jernigan said wrote about not joining the Texans franchise now, as there is now no deal between the two parties. Earlier this offseason, the Texans news was that Jernigan and Houston had in principal for a one-year contract worth $3.25 million.
Now a couple months later and time to reflect, the Texans news for Jernigan and the franchise is they won’t be a unit; rather, Jernigan will be a free agent once again.
Grant Gordon of NFL.com reported in a recent article that Jernigan hadn’t had a physical with the Texans this offseason but had been cleared by a medical professional:
"“Having played in only 13 games over the previous two seasons due to neck and foot injuries, Jernigan was previously cleared by spinal specialist Robert Watkins.”"
Now what should be next for the Texans and their defensive tackle depth chart? Currently on the roster for the Texans are Eddie Vanderdoes, Ross Blacklock and Auzoyah Alufohai, according to OurLads.com.
Houston Texans News: Ross Blacklock is the future of the defensive line
The player whom the Texans news headlines need to be the star and standout from the pack is rookie second-round pick Ross Blacklock. The TCU product was a highly touted draft prospect in April. Blacklock could start for the Texans as a rookie, or if nothing else, be a big part of the Texans defensive game plan each and every week.
But the question is: do the Texans need to add a veteran player to take over the role they seemingly wanted Jernigan to have? The question has to be yes for the short-term, because the Texans need to make sure they have depth in the lineup this season, especially since D.J. Reader won’t be returning either after going to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency.
The good thing for the Texans if they do decide to find a veteran nose tackle in free agency is there are still some quality players who are available most likely for a one-year deal.
Houston has the option to stay pat where they are with their current players on the roster, or they can look at the next three veterans and see if they could provide the play needed for this defense to recover after not signing Jernigan and losing Reader all in the same offseason.
3. Domata Peko
After playing most of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, the past couple seasons have seen Domata Peko sign short-term deals with the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos to provide a veteran leadership to the defensive line.
Now a free agent once again, the 35-year-old Peko could be the veteran that could bring the best Texans news because he wouldn’t break the bank either.
Last season with the Ravens, his Peko base salary was $424,118, and the cap hit was only $265,558. Last year Peko played in just seven games due to injuries, which is the first time in his NFL career that the defensive tackle didn’t start at least 11 games in a season since his rookie year.
Peko has been in the league since 2006, and as his career is nearing a close, a one-year deal wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Texans. If nothing else, he could mentor rookie Ross Blacklock, while still providing valuable snaps to the defense within the rotation of tackles.
For his career, Peko has 47 tackles for loss, and other than last season has had at least one in every season he’s played. If Peko is looking for a final chance to have success in the NFL, and it seems the Texans want to lean on veterans this season, it could be a nice union between the two parties.
2. Marcell Dareus
The former first-round pick back in 2011, Marcell Dareus is capable of being a quality nose tackle for the Houston Texans in 2020 if he were to be signed via free agency. The 30-year-old has played the past three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, splitting the 2017 season with Jacksonville and the Buffalo Bills.
Now a free agent, Dareus is coming off a 2019 season where he played and started in six games, totaling one forced fumble, a half sack, eight solo tackles, one tackle for loss and one QB hit. In 2018, Dareus collected a safety, and for his entire career he’s collected 50 tackles for loss and 37.5 sacks.
In this potential free agent defensive tackle signing, again, it would be nice to have a player who has done some quality things in the league like Dareus to show the ropes to Ross Blacklock, and most likely Blacklock will eventually be the starter at the defensive tackle spot. Dareus would be another free agent who would be good for the Texans to sign to a one-year deal, and he’s still a veteran, but not an aging veteran as the 30-year-old still has some quality years remaining.
As head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien has said this offseason, he expects this year to lean more toward the veterans, so the Texans would be smart to at least take a look at the possibility of signing Dareus to the roster.
1. Damon Harrison
Here is another quality veteran who could adapt to playing nose tackle for the Houston Texans and that is 31-year-old Damon Harrison, also known as “Snacks.”
Harrison might cost more the the previous two players mentioned, but again, this is just a one-year deal the Texans should be looking for. Harrison’s most recent one-year deal was last season with the Detroit Lions, as that went for $11.250 million.
Harrison is the best remaining defensive tackle on the market not named Timmy Jernigan, and the 350-pound player would be an excellent run stuffer for the Texans, as they need to have that veteran presence to take up for the loss of D.J. Reader. The 6-3 Harrison started all 15 games he played in last season, and he even had three passes defensed, plus had two sacks.
A signing of Harrison could be more than a one-year deal, but the Texans are fans of the “prove it” type of contract as they have in recent memory had some of those with players on the defense.
Also last season, Harrison totaled 29 solo tackles, plus had three tackles for loss and two QB hits. The prospect of Harrison lining up with J.J. Watt and Angelo Blackson is exciting as he’ll take a bit of the pressure and possible double teams off those two, and his presence would really help the run stop defense for the Texans as well.
The Texans news is Houston needs to add just one more defensive tackle to their roster to be more than content with the depth chart, and Harrison would be a big sign for this franchise if he’s even drawing interest from them.