3 Texans players most likely to be dealt at the NFL trade deadline
By Randy Gurzi
There were a couple of moves in the NFL on Tuesday as Amari Cooper was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Buffalo Bills and Davante Adams was traded from the Las Vegas Raiders to the New York Jets. Near the end of the day, the Houston Texans got in on the action as they traded Cam Akers to the Minnesota Vikings.
That might not be their only move as they have several positions of strength they could use to add more draft capital. That being said, here's a look at three more players they could trade by the Nov. 5 deadline.
3. Robert Woods, WR
At 32 years of age, Robert Woods is in his second season with Houston and 12th in the NFL. He twice topped 1,000 yards during his prime with the Los Angeles Rams but was still productive as recent as 2023.
During his first season with Houston, Woods had 40 receptions for 426 yards and a touchdown. Those are far from elite numbers but a receiver-needy team would welcome that in a heartbeat. Houston doesn’t have plans for Woods (he has just three catches this year) so landing a late-round pick at the deadline could be a win.
2. Derek Barnett, EDGE
A first-round pick for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, Derek Barnett landed with the Texans late last season. In six games, he had 2.5 tackles leading to his return in 2024.
He's off to a solid start in 2024 with eight tackles and two sacks. Having said that, Houston just got Dylan Horton back which could make Barnett expendable.
1. John Metchie III, WR
Back to the receiver position with John Metchie III.
A second-round pick from Alabama in 2022, Metchie had to sit out his rookie season when he was diagnosed with leukemia. He returned in 2023 and had 158 yards on 16 catches. This season, however, he's hardly seen the field with just one catch for seven yards.
While at Alabama, Metchie was seen as a great route runner with the potential to develop into a top-tier WR2. Perhaps he doesn't get to that point but there's enough talent there for a team in need of more pass-catchers to make a move.