The Texans should sign this man now

On Thursday, the Chicago Bears announced the team waived veteran offensive lineman Cody Whitehair.

When an NFL player is waived, they typically only last on waivers for about a day, according to an article on nfl.com titled "NFL WAIVER SYSTEM OVERVIEW." What this means, in the case of Whitehair, is that he is off of waivers and officially a free agent who can sign wherever he wants, even though the new league year and, by extension, free agency has yet to begin.

The Houston Texans should be interested in the former second-round draft selection for a few reasons. The first of which is Houston allowed the 10th most sacks in the NFL in 2023, according to statmuse.com.

With 47 sacks allowed, Houston was tied with the Minnesota Vikings for the 10th most allowed by any team last season. Speaking matter of factly, Houston had the most sacks allowed by any playoff team in the 2023 season. Adding a veteran presence such as Whitehair will, in theory, allow more time for quarterback C.J. Stroud to stay upright and continue to make game-breaking plays.

Although Houston had such a high amount of sacks allowed last season, there is a caveat: The injury bug struck the offensive line hard. Kendrick Green was limited to four games, and Kenyon Green missed the entire season. These two injuries forced players from different positions to fill in at left guard. Coincidentally, Whitehair played left guard toward the end of his tenure in Chicago.

What is keeping the injury bug from biting the interior offensive line again? Nothing is the short yet harsh answer. That bug does not care who it bites. It could be beneficial for Houston to have a player like Whitehair around in case that bug rears its ugly head.

If the Texans opt to bring in and sign Whitehair, there is a connection worth making. In 2017, the Los Angeles Rams signed a veteran offensive tackle by the name of Andrew Whitworth to help protect a sophomore quarterback, Jared Goff.

The addition of Whitworth propelled the Rams into the stratosphere, leading to a Super Bowl birth with Goff and an eventual win without him. A very similar story could play out if Houston wants to continue building the offensive line and allow C.J. Stroud more time to throw the ball to an already good receiving room.

That could all start with the signing of Whitehair.