3 Texans contracts we were happy to see end, 2 we're eager to see expire

No. 1 player the Houston Texans were right to let walk: Justin Britt, OL

During his stints with the Las Vegas Raiders and the Seattle Seahawks, assistant Tom Cable had a big say on which the offensive linemen both teams acquired in the draft. And back in 2014, the Hawks chose Justin Britt in Round 2.

Britt was supposed to become a mainstay of Seattle's offensive line but instead became a liability. He was the Seahawks' starting right tackle in 2014 but struggled so badly that he moved to left guard the following season. Once again, he faltered, which led to another position switch in 2016, this time to center.

Because the third time is the charm and because Cable wasn't ready to give up on him, Britt had somewhat of a breakout year and made the Pro Bowl (as an alternate) in his first year playing center. He then signed a three-year extension worth $27 million in 2017 but struggled to stay healthy and failed to live up to expectations.

Having seen enough of Britt, Seattle released him before the start of the 2020 season and spent the year away from the gridiron. Then in 2021, the former Mizzou Tiger landed in Houston, where he spent two uneventful seasons.

All in all, Britt played 12 games for the Texans, having spent most of the 2022 season on the reserve/non-football illness list for personal reasons. The reason for Britt's absence was never disclosed but he had full support from the team, "When somebody's dealing with something personal, you leave it at that", then-head coach Lovie Smith told the media at the time.

After the 2022 season, the Texans released Britt, which created $3 million in cap space. They then used those saving to bring back Scott Quessenberry, who took Britt's spot in the starting lineup and fared relatively well.