Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio has built a competitive roster and went for the home run during the 2024 offseason.
He added running back Joe Mixon, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and defensive tackle Denico Autry. That gave them a 1,000-yard back, a 1,000-yard receiver, and a pass rusher who had 11.5 sacks in 2023.
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Unfortunately, not every move panned out. While Mixon was the focal point of their offense, Diggs suffered a torn ACL in Week 8. As for Autry, he had just 13 tackles and three sacks in a disappointing season.
That has Devon Platana of House of Houston saying the Texans should consider moving on from Autry. While he says things started off on the wrong foot for Autry following a six-game suspension, his play was even more concerning once he returned.
"If that wasn't bad enough, PFF gave Autry a grade of 60.6 for overall defense — the second-lowest mark of his 11-year career." — Platana, House of Houston
Houston Texans need to free up cap space in 2025
Autry could be a cap casualty with Houston at the limit according to Over the Cap. They could move money aroudn via restructures but can also make room by releasing Autry.
As a pre-June 1 cut, he would open up more than $5.7 million while giving them a dead hit of $4.5 million. As a post-June 1 release, the Texans would free up nearly $8.8 million with just $1.5 million as a dead hit — of course, the money won't be available until after June in that scenario.
Autry will turn 35 in June, making it an even larger likelihood that he could be on the way out.