1. RB David Johnson
The trade of DeAndre Hopkins looked awful at the time O’Brien pulled the trigger, and it looks even worse now. David Johnson, a running back nearing the end of his shelf life off of a multitude of injuries looked like, well, a running back nearing the end of his shelf life off of a multitude of injuries this season for Houston.
In 12 games for the Texans, Johnson rushed for less than 700 yards, finding the endzone six times in Houston. He caught an additional 33 passes out of the backfield for another 314 yards and two touchdowns. On paper, this may look like a good year for the former Arizona Cardinal, however on tape and on the field, Johnson is instilling fear into no defense.
With one year left on his contract, and on the verge of turning 30 years old, Johnson becomes the most apparent potential cap casualty on the roster for the Texans. Set to make nearly $8 million this upcoming season, Houston can trade Johnson with no cap penalty, and $9 million in cap savings. However, a trade for an aging and expensive running back is not likely, leaving the ax as the probably option.
To cut Johnson, the Texans would clear nearly $7 million in cap space, eating only a tad over $2 million in dead money. Teams Caserio have worked under have never been a fan of anything other than running back by committee anyway.