3 free agents Texans were wise to avoid

Free agency is always a tricky line to toe. On one hand, it offers perhaps the best chance to immediately get better, as the top of each free agency class typically features a half-dozen or more Pro Bowl quality players. For teams like the Texans, one or two big name signings that work out can make the difference between fighting up until Week 17 just to get in, and coasting through the final month of the season knowing that they'll have a bye week once the playoffs start. On the other hand, as is well-documented by now, free agency can also be a huge trap.

Every season, like clockwork, teams get desperate to make noise and hand out big contracts that have no business being handed out. Then, within the next two years, those players are gone – but the team is still stuck in cap hell, trying to figure out a way to stay competitive despite all the dead cap money. Good GMs know where to pick their battles and – perhaps more importantly – where to sit out. While the Texans have been plenty active in the free agent market, there are more than a couple signings that Houston fans will be glad their team didn't make. These are the biggest three.