Marcus Maye could give the Houston Texans an inexpensive option at safety

The New Orleans Saints are cutting Marcus Maye to free up some cap room. in doing so they're giving the Houston Texans an opportunity to upgrade their defensive secondary by signing the former second-round pick. Drafted by the New York Jets in 2017, Maye poises to be a massive upgrade for the Texans at safety. While not historically known to be a Pro Bowl-caliber player, Maye would provide sure tackling and a veteran presence in the secondary.

A secondary, that's poised to get a lot younger faster than expected. The Texans really don't have many secondary players under contract for the 2024 season, and it's likely that the team will draft a few rookies to improve the team's long-term health at both corner and safety.

That doesn't mean they will, but there is a push from the fandom to see that idea come to fruition. Even if the Texans don't take a cornerback in the first round as many have mocked, they are likely to see a corner and a safety get drafted sometime in the draft.

That doesn't give the Texans much depth or veteran experience in that situation though, so free agents must be added and with the Texans needing to balance fit and need, it's very likely that not every position of need gets a major Pro Bowl talent. That's why Maye makes sense.

The 30-year-old safety won't carry a huge number, not after being cut, and the Texans could likely get him relatively cheap over the next two seasons or so. If the Texans can make upgrades around him, then Maye could come in and have a stellar season, with the veteran not needing to be the one carrying the load.

Plus, he'll be playing behind Derek Stingley Jr., one of the better young corners coming out of the 2023 season. Maye won't erase the issues the Texans had in the secondary but he can help make sure those issues don't repeat themselves in 2024.