The Houston Texans just concluded potentially their most impactful draft in franchise history after selecting C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson back-to-back with the second and third selections of the draft. New head coach DeMeco Ryans has already begun to shape this roster with an identity he desires through the free agency and draft period. Ryans sent a loud and clear message, we're ready to win now.
Up next for the Texans is rookie minicamp followed by voluntary workouts and OTAs. In between these times is roster management. Some free agent players were not resigned, which means more value to teams after the draft. There are players on rosters being evaluated for contract extensions like Shaq Mason, but there are also players whose roster spots are now murky post-draft. We have already seen three players move on from the franchise this offseason, which made sense, but could more be on the way?
We are looking at four players on the Houston Texans' roster who are in that latter area. We will look at these player's security with the team based on what the team did in the draft and free agency periods.
Davis Mills, Quarterback
The writing has been on the wall since the former third-round quarterback out of Stanford's heroics cost the Texans the number one overall pick in the draft. Despite that game, Mills has been graded out by pro football focus as the 32nd quarterback in the NFL. So, dead last. The writing got bigger when the team hired DeMeco Ryans and Bobby Slowik. The writing has been in big, bold letters with GM Nick Caserio and Ryans refusing to say Davis Mills' name in public.
Beyond that, the Texans signed the ideal backup veteran quarterback in Case Keenum and spent the number two overall pick on Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. Davis Mills has no place on this roster. Specifically, he can't compete with Stroud, nor does he have the veteran experience for Stroud to lean on.
My best bet is the Texans have been shopping Mills for a day-three selection in a future draft. I imagine if I can see the writing on the wall, other teams can too. In the end I doubt the Texans get more than a seventh-round selection for Mills. If they can't find a suitor willing to pay that price, they will cut him long before preseason workouts start.
Christian Kirksey, Linebacker
Christian Kirksey has had a solid career. He was a valuable, above-average linebacker, but that was back in 2017. He's been average since then. The Texans have mainly received the latter services from Kirksey. Per Pro Football Focus, Kirksey graded out no higher than 56.1 overall and specifically a tackling grade of 62. The numbers match the tape, and Kirksey should not see the field much in 2023.
Per SpoTrac, Kirksey has a cap hit of $6.25M, the seventh-highest cap hit on the team. I don't know where they might reinvest that money, but there's no reason to hold onto an aged veteran who has underperformed for that amount. It wouldn't be the worst thing if the Texans choose to reinvest that money into a longer contract for Tytus Howard, though.
Garrett Wallow, Linebacker
The Texans linebacker room is not one to brag about, as it is arguably the weakest room on defense. We already discussed Kirksey being released, and a similar line of thought tracks for Garrett Wallow.
Wallow was selected in the fifth round by the Texans in 2021 out of TCU. He was regarded as an undersized but athletic linebacker who had a knack for timing his blitzes and finding runners behind the line of scrimmage. The former high school safety was never able to add much weight to his 6'2, 230-pound frame, and has not grown much as a player for this Texans team.
Wallow saw increased playing time last season on a special teams unit that ranked third in the NFL, so if he were to stay on the roster, that would be his calling card. The Texans already have a few other linebackers who fit the undersized-but-athletic role with Henry To'oto'o, Christian Harris, and Cory Littleton. The addition of To'oto'o leads me to believe the Texans and new head coach DeMeco Ryans may be ready to move on from the third-year linebacker.
Scott Quessenberry, Center
Since the end of the season, the Texans have added three potential centers to replace Scott Quessenberry. The former starter in Houston re-signed with the team on a Nick Caserio classic one-year, $2 million contract. This contract holds very little security for the sixth-year center. To put it frankly, the Texans have shown little faith in Quessenberry.
To be fair, Quessenberry left a lot to be desired after his lone season in Houston. Per Pro Football Focus, Quessenberry was given a horrendous overall grade of 36.6, ranking 26th out of 32 possible starting centers. If you watch the tape from 2022, you can routinely find Quessenberry on the ground or missing assignments that were left to overload either guard.
They brought in Michael Deiter from the Miami Dolphins on a one-year deal. They also used draft capital on the position by moving up for Penn State's Juice Scruggs in the second round and selecting Notre Dame's Jarrett Patterson in the sixth. All three should make the roster, leaving Quessenberry the odd man out.