Facing criticism in first offseason as Texans GM, Bill O’Brien asks for patience Spoiler Reaching the heights of professional football that Bill O’Brien has, becoming both a head coach and general manager, requires tremendous self-belief. But O’Brien knows that, beyond his backyard patio, where he’s held offseason meetings amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s immense doubt regarding the Texans’ recent moves. That much was obvious from the start of O’Brien’s Thursday video conference with reporters, his first such meeting since the NFL Combine. A lot has happened between then and now, most notably All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins getting traded to Arizona, and O’Brien opened by saying, “The key to having the best team is not just about having the best players. … Really, the key to having the best team is to have a room full of productive players.” “Our staff is more convicted than ever that we must have layers upon layers of players who can contribute to the tradition of winning the AFC South and trying to get beyond that,” he added. That belief helped guide O’Brien’s decision to essentially swap DeAndre Hopkins for receiver Brandin Cooks while moving up 17 spots in the draft, acquiring running back David Johnson and adding a 2022 4th round pick. According to O’Brien — who refused to comment on Michael Irvin’s allegation that he mentioned convicted murderer and ex-Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez in a conversation with Hopkins — the Texans simply couldn’t afford to meet the receiver’s demands for a new contract and make their roster so top-heavy. The team is obviously going to hold onto Deshaun Watson at quarterback, and following Houston’s expensive trade for Laremy Tunsil, the left tackle needs to get paid, too. Then there’s J.J. Watt, who’s failed to stay healthy in three of the past four seasons but remains the most-enduring face of the franchise. Those three’s collective presence, perhaps combined with tension between O’Brien and Hopkins, left the receiver as the odd man out. “It was going to be very, very difficult to have an elite quarterback, an elite defensive end, an elite tackle and other players,” O’Brien said. “After research, we felt the best move for our team was to move him to Arizona.” But in the short term, at least, the move doesn’t make team-building any easier for O’Brien from a financial perspective. Cooks and Johnson will combine to count for approximately $19.2 million against Houston’s 2020 cap. Unless Hopkins’ eventual new contract with Arizona drastically resets the market, that’s pretty close to what he would’ve cost the Texans on a yearly basis. In terms of the average annual values of their contracts, only three receivers — Julio Jones, Amari Cooper and Michael Thomas — currently exceed that number. The Texans can at least get out of the Cooks and Johnson deals following this season with minimal dead money left on their books, which wouldn’t be the case with a Hopkins extension, but it would be illogical to have given up the assets O’Brien has surrendered for just one season. In Johnson’s case, specifically, a string of unproductive years following the running back’s All-Pro 2016 campaign made his three-year, $39 million contract one the Cardinals wanted to shed — enough so that it seemed they’d have to include draft capital in a trade to get rid of him. Arizona sent the 40th overall pick and 2021 fourth-rounder to Houston, but it got back an All-Pro receiver and a 2020 fourth-round selection while the Texans absorbed Johnson’s hefty cap hit. Compared to the Vikings’ haul from the Bills for receiver Stefon Diggs — which included first-, fifth- and sixth-round picks this year, as well as a future fourth — O’Brien appeared to sell incredibly low. But he defended the decision Thursday by pointing out that Hopkins’ demands for a raise limited the market for his services. “You’re not talking to 31 other teams,” O’Brien said. “You’re finding a trade partner, No. 1, that’s going to be able to pay DeAndre Hopkins. Once we found that team that could afford DeAndre Hopkins in the future, then we determined what the trade was. We feel very good about getting the 40th pick, getting David Johnson. When we looked at the analytics of the production that was leaving our team and the production that was coming in — again, it’s very incomplete, we have several things left to go — but we feel really good about the value we got in the trade.” As it stands now, though, it’s difficult to argue the Texans have improved. Following a season in which their offense ranked 16th in efficiency, they’ve gotten rid of Watson’s go-to target and added two players coming off disappointing seasons. Johnson averaged just 3.7 yards per carry last year while dropping down Arizona’s depth chart, and Cooks managed only 42 catches for 583 yards as the Rams shifted their offensive identity toward more two-tight end sets in an effort to help a bad offensive line. On the defensive side of the ball, where the Texans ranked 26th in efficiency, they’ve lost D.J. Reader. Defensive tackle Tim Jernigan and safety Eric Murray have joined the team, but this is mostly the same unit as a year ago — minus the group’s best interior lineman. As O’Brien made a point of saying, though, some of his previous moves perhaps worked out better than most figured they would. After coming to the Texans from the Raiders, cornerback Gareon Conley’s play improved. Jacob Martin, acquired in the Jadeveon Clowney trade, has proven to be a promising rotational pass rusher. And running back Carlos Hyde turned in a career year, only to be replaced by Johnson after turning down a contract offer prior to free agency. “Let the whole thing play out,” O’Brien said. “Whether it’s that (Hopkins) trade or anything else that we’ve done, let’s review it a year from now, two years from now, three years from now. Let’s let it all play out.” How the Texans evaluated health of Cooks, Johnson amid a pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has closed NFL facilities and made teams conduct physicals in non-traditional ways. According to O’Brien, rather than have team doctor Walter Lowe evaluate Cooks and Johnson, physicians whom Lowe trusts examined both players. Cooks has had five concussions in six seasons but has only missed two games in the past five years, both of which were this past season. O’Brien said the Texans “feel really good about where Brandin is at, relative to his health.” He also said Johnson — who’s been limited to 30 games during the past three years because of wrist, knee and ankle injuries — passed his physical “with flying colors.” Mapping out the virtual offseason The Texans will conduct their virtual offseason program from April 27-May 15. After that, the NFL will decide whether it’s feasible to return to normal operations, including on-field practices. For now, O’Brien said his team will conduct meetings via Zoom and Discord, the latter of which the Texans will use for film study. What are the Texans’ draft needs? O’Brien said the Texans need to add depth along their defensive line in next weeks’ draft. He also mentioned safety as a position the Texans could add to. This draft includes one of the deepest classes of receivers ever, and given that Will Fuller and Kenny Stills are both entering the final years of their contracts, picking a wideout from this year’s talented pool would make sense as Houston continues to shake up its receiving corps. But O’Brien expressed hesitancy over whether many rookie receivers, as well as rookies at other positions, will make significant impacts, given the non-traditional offseason. “I truly believe this is a veteran-type of year,” he said. “I think it’ll be difficult for rookies without practicing on the field.”
It’s easier and a lot more fun to root against them. They haven’t earned our loyalty like the stros or rockets and let’s be honest, incompetence that borders are gross negligence shouldn’t be rewarded. They’re essentially stealing money from their “fans.”
With the first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson.
5, 18, 26, & Texans get back their first/second next year. Fine, we'll settle for our 2nd and your 2nd in 2021. - Bob
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