Not sure why they would need any skill players outside of a bigger RB. They are not gonna take a defensive end already having Mario, investing a TON of money in Smith, and drafting Barwin in the 2nd round last season. DT is a top 3 need for this team still. They have an average player in Okoye and not much else there right now.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/02/26/texans-dont-sound-optimistic-about-retaining-walter/ Doesn't seem overly likely that Walter is gonna be in a not-so-great FA market for WR's.
Honestly, and I know this is going to sound crazy to some, but I'm more concerned about losing KW over OD... because Jacoby scares the crap out of me... but James Casey doesn't.
Walter is unrestricted, whereas OD is restricted. It's much easier to retain RFA's. Losing Walter scares me too, but Jacoby was taking a lot of his snaps last season anyway. I'm not convinced Jacoby is a legit #2 though. Before this season he was a muffed punt away from being released.
We'd have to pick him up in the 2nd to have a chance. I'd be very happy if we drafted him, I think he's a perfect compliment to AJ.
If he's there in the 3rd, we certainly get him. But 2nd, no. Too many other holes. Even the UT fan base isn't enough to warrant a 2nd rounder.
I think the need for a WR is flying under the radar a bit. If we don't re-sign KW, our core will be AJ, Jacoby, Anderson, and Davis. Even though Jacoby played well last season, I'm not too confident that he can be a bona-fide #2 WR. Anderson for sure isn't a #2, and Davis didn't do much at all last season. I'm not saying we need/should draft a WR high, but I wouldn't be that upset if we did, especially if it was Shipley.
Wr core does scare me a little too. Jones has earned some confidence, but still not 100%. Although, KW didnt have a great year, i trust him to catch the ball and throw great blocks. Shipley does remind me somewhat of hime, however, i like KW's size and the fact that he's a proven commodity. If texans get take a WR, i'd rather it be someone late
We drafted defense with the first and second round picks last season. I feel like we need to invest in a play-maker on offense with the second round pick. Jordan Shipley or Gilyard will hopefully be availaible there. I think we would have looked at Dwyer in the first but CB is obviously the most pressing need at this time.
Just depends on if we sign LT. I think we'll be fine at RB with the emergence of Foster and the hopeful return of Slaton. The Saints showed that you need multiple threats down the field. They have Colston, Meachem, Henderson & Shockey.
A lot depends on what happens before the draft. If KW leaves, WR will be a bigger need IMO. Also, we don't draft RBs early, even when we were in desperate need of one a couple seasons back, we waited until the 3rd to pick one up.
We had one of the top passing attack's in the league last year (which Walter wasn't nearly as big a part of as the previous years), and we'll have OD coming back along with a progressed James Casey. We'll be fine at WR, whether we re-sign Walter, find another free agent, or draft one in the 3rd-5th round. LT should not be counted on as shoring up our running game, nor should Foster for just a couple games of success. If a good one is there, we should draft a guy in the first three rounds that can compete. Past years have shown us that we can never have enough depth at RB- a backfield of Slaton, Foster, LT, and a solid rookie would be good going into the season. In the NFL draft, you can really only count on first and second round picks for immediate help (see Cushing, Barwin). After that, it might take guys part or most of a season (or more) to contribute (see Quin, Hill, Casey). Of course there are always exceptions, but as of now we have 3 weaknesses at DT, RB, and DB that need to be addressed before WR. That's why we really can't take one early.
C.J. Spiller would look nice in a Texans uni. Some of the draft reviewers are compairing him to Chris Johnson because of his blazing speed and home-run threat ability
Sorry if this has been mentioned already, but I haven't really been following the Texans at all recently. So I have a question about this uncapped year. By all accounts, the Texans are super-rich. They make a ton of money, and they don't spend like Dallas nor Washington. So basically McNair has just been accumulating revenue these past years. So can they do something like this? Resign Ryans, Owens, and our other free agents for ridiculously frontloaded contracts. i.e. 4yrs/$20 mil that's spread like 14/2/2/2. You can even re-negotiate contracts for current players like Andre or Schuab, basically lowering their future cap hit by giving them some more upfront money. Of course, we can definitely do this outside FA, like Peppers or Kampman. I honestly feel this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a truly rich franchise like us to abuse the system to get talent. And at the same time set ourselves up incredibly well when 2011 rolls around with the cap situation. With all these RFA getting tendered this year, next year's crop of FA could literally be the motherload. Of course, all this is predicated on McNair willing to spend. What's their thinking going into the offseason? Are they really going to break the bank, or is it business as usual, where we just overpay for on particular mediocre starter and call it a day?
