"I think when you look at our needs in the draft, I would say running back is a position that we could look at," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said. This is a deep RB draft, and I personally really like Tevin Coleman, but should we look at signing Adrian Peterson? His comments about returning to Minnesota seemed hesitant and suspect. His wife does not want him to return. I think it makes too much sense for him to be in DAL (great line, they dont want to pay Murray), but maybe AP and Foster would both like working off each other, perhaps lengthening each other's career in the process.
Nah we already have a top 5 back. An explosive wr and qb should be the main focus on the offensive side.
To play in the city where his legal troubles stem from? BO'B wants a young back to back up Arian and I'd bet they're looking for more of a Shane Vereen type. Plus, he's still going to command a big chunk of salary and they couldn't afford to have that much cap tied up into 1 position. Peterson will either return to the Vikes or play for Dallas if they let Murray go.
O'brien's philosophy is building through the draft. Getting players that are both flexible in scheme and in mind. You want to get younger at positions, not older. You've already got Foster who is getting up there in mileage, that still performs very well when 100%. You want the guy behind him to be your future, or at least a stop gap. But you can't allocate much more money in that position than there already is.
Do we continue to flog his guts out and hope he can last a full 16 games (which he has not done) at his age? Or, do we take a wise step and look at some insurance in case he goes down, especially in light of the fact that Alfred Blue is likely not going to be more than a backup? I think it is time to start grooming a replacement and a healthy competition between Blue and a draftee will ensure Texans will continue to have a high scoring running game - which was basically what Texans relied upon last season. If our QB issue is not resolved, we will NEED a strong running game.
Arian is approaching 30, when running backs' abilities fall off a cliff, and he is a $9 million dollar cap hit. He is from the last generation of RB's to really get paid. The going rate for a top RB has gone in the tank. I saw a mock draft that had Todd Gurley mocked to the Texans in the first. My first thought was "WTF???", but the more I thought about it, the more it kinda made sense. Kubes was obsessed with keeping his guys around, even after they'd clearly lost it. BOB learned in part at the feet of "The Hoodie", who is notorious for cutting guys well before everybody else thinks it is time. If that rubbed off on him, you might see some shocking cuts over the next couple of years, with Foster being a prime candidate. I also McNair has been stewing for a year plus about the big Foster scandal last year. As the dead cap money decreases, it gets more and more practical. If you could cut Arian and sign AP for less, or if you could pick up the closest thing in the draft to AP in Gurley and pay him peanuts would that really be a horrible idea? Removing AJ and Foster gives you $25 million in cap space after the dead money year. That would significantly change the landscape for the Texans in FA.
Hmm - sign AP and draft a WR in R1. Only thing is would McNair want AP with his particular cloud hanging over him? Personally, I would not be against it as AP could be even better (and more reliable) than AF - especially with our line. Save 9 million ex Foster and offer AP 7mill and still save 2mill. And, a powerful running game will help out the passing game. Texans will have a lot of options, but you know how quickly they can evaporate as soon as one key player is taken by another team.
You don't want a 30yr old back on your team. Foster is about to be there himself, and this is probably his final year as a Texan, unless his restructures his final season. You get younger at RB, not older. With how this franchise operates, they won't be touching a guy with any kind of abuse history. Just not the makeup they want in the locker room. Plus AP seems to be blaming the Vikings for not supporting him during this scandal. Can't help but think that's a red flag. If he's not a Viking, I'll put money on him being a Cowboy after they sign Dez and let Murray go.
