Why the Houston Texans should target Montez Sweat, not Chase Young from Commanders 

While there have been recent rumors of the Houston Texans and Washington Commanders pairing up on a trade that sends Chase Young to the Houston Texans, the Texans should be targeting the other defensive end in Washington, adding Montez sweat to the Houston Texans organization would benefit the team more than Young. 

The Houston Texans are in a unique situation where they're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of a rebuild but have many unknowns still. While they traded up to select star defensive end Will Anderson Jr out of Alabama, the defensive line needs more than one blue-chip prospect. Enter Montez Sweat.

First, some of the main reasons why the Texans should target Sweat are the same reasons why they should target Young; the difference is that Sweat is a safer prospect due to his lack of injury history.

Sweat is an elite run defender

One of the areas that Houston Texans have struggled the most in the last five years is their run defense; ranking in the bottom five during the previous three seasons. This is not a recipe for success. On the other hand, Sweat has ranked as a top-five edge defender against the run over the last three seasons, per Pro Football Focus. 

Imagine Sweat, who had 107 out of his 165 career tackles register as a 'stop' per PFF, a stat that counts a tackle as one that "constitutes a "failure" for the offense," as a prominent member of the Texans defensive line. In short, he consistently made big-time tackles when the Commanders needed it.

While many prefer a defensive end with gaudy sack numbers, few exist on the trade market. With the Texans having spent draft capital to acquire Anderson Jr as their star pass rusher, why not add a Robin to his Batman in Sweat? 

Sweat has a high ceiling as a pass rusher.

There's an argument that Sweat has yet to reach his pass-rushing ceiling. While no one expected Sweat to be a sack master out of college, and has proven the same in the NFL, he has rarely benefited from a defensive line that already has one. Yes, the Alabama brothers in Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen are stars; the opposing offenses line for most of Sweat's career has been able to shift to his side in pass-blocking schemes. 

Imagine Sweat, under the tutelage of Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, lining up across from Will Anderson. Maybe I'm a Texans Boomer here, but I believe Sweat has a much higher ceiling with that combination than he currently has in Washington. Take his 2020 season, the only season he got a healthy Chase Young playing across from him. During that season, Sweat had arguably his best season as a pro. 

He racked up nine sacks with an 89-run defense grade by pro football Focus, which ranked third amongst other edge defenders in the league. Sweat has more potential than Young with the Houston Texans.

Sweat is a steady player

Well, not flashy, Sweat is precisely what the Houston Texans need; a healthy, run-stopping, consistent defender. The former Mississippi State star has only had one significant injury during his NFL career; a non-displaced jaw fracture suffered in 2021. It is not an injury that teams should be concerned about moving forward, unlike Young's ACL. 

The Texans could trade for Sweat, sign him to a long-term deal, and feel confident about the player they're getting. While still only 26, Sweat and the Texans can enjoy each other's primes. He fits into the Houston Texans' window of winning slightly more than Minnesota Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter. 

With Sweat, the Texans can be assured of the kind of player they're getting. While not an all-pro, he still has that ceiling, but his floor of being an eight to 11 sack defensive end and a top-five run defender is critical. The Texans took a risk in this year's draft when they traded up for Will Anderson; Sweat represents a more conservative approach to the defensive rehaul. 

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