3 former Houston Texans players we’re glad are gone, 2 we wish stayed

2 former Houston Texans players we wish stayed

1. EDGE Jonathan Greenard

This one stings. After being drafted by Houston in the 3rd round of the 2020 Draft, Greenard quickly turned into one of the NFL's premier pass rushers. The sack numbers were inconsistent, sure, but he seemingly turned a corner in 2023 and set a career-high there with 12.5. He also had career-best numbers in QB hurries, QB hits, and solo tackles. There's some injury concern there – he's never played a full season – but he's only 26 and seemed ready to enter his prime as one of the Texans' defensive cornerstones. Instead, he signed a big contract with the Vikings, and Houston replaced him with (ironically enough) former Minnesota star pass rusher Danielle Hunter. Hunter's certainly the more established player, but if Greenard repeates his 2023 performance next season, it'll be tough to watch.

2. LB Blake Cashman

Talk about another defensive player who looked like he was blossoming into a star. He was arguably the Texans' best run defender last season, and seemingly put it all together – every single one of his PFF grades were above 70, and he finished the season ranked as their 8th best linebacker (out of 81). He *also* signed with the Vikings on a three-year, $27 million deal, which feels like a number that the Texans could have matched.