2020 could have been a quiet offseason for Houston Texans coach-general manager Bill O’Brien.
His team has been subtle in free agency, re-signing cornerbacks Bradley Roby and Vernon Hargreaves while bringing in under-whelming safety Eric Murray from the Cleveland Browns and wide receiver Randall Cobb from the Dallas Cowboys.
In fact, Houston was able to make waves amidst the quiet sports background of COVID-19 with the signing of Philadelphia Eagle Tim Jernigan on Wednesday. The defensive tackle comes on a cheap, incentive-laden deal and certainly has the talent to make up for some of the production lost when D.J. Reader signed for $10 million per season with the lowly Cincinnati Bengals.
However, rather than quiet, unassuming, or maybe even a somewhat pleasant offseason for Texans fans, the spring thus far has been labeled total Armageddon.
O’Brien, in his first full offseason with total front office powers, already under massive scrutiny for his handling of player situations with Kareem Jackson and Jadeveon Clowney, “Nuked” the franchise — he made the executive decision to move on from All-Pro wide receiver Deandre “Nuk” Hopkins by trading him to the Arizona Cardinals.
Hopkins, a three-time All-Pro since being drafted in 2013 by Houston, had become a fan favorite and a staple of the franchise post-Andre Johnson. The dynamic wide receiver is relatively notorious for having the stickiest hands in the league and had developed quite the rapport with franchise quarterback and fellow Clemson alumnus Deshaun Watson.
In return, Houston received a 2020 second-round pick, a 2021 fourth-round pick, and the massive contract of running back David Johnson. Johnson, who emerged with the Cardinals as an All-Pro back in 2016 racking up over 2,000 total yards, has since failed to rush for 1,000 yards in any of the past three seasons. In 201, Johnson rushed for a mere 345 yards and was benched in favor of Kenyan Drake midseason. To add insult to injury, the seemingly declining running back comes with a hefty cap hit of $14.2 million dollars.
Understandably, Houston fans have been livid and no place has the nuclear carnage manifested more so than social media. Scrolling through any team related article, tweet, or free agent whispers, the ridicule of O’Brien and the front office is widespread and possibly well-deserved. Even quarterback Deshaun Watson took to Twitter following the trade to voice his displeasure, tweeting cryptic lyrics that left many to question what his relationship is with the franchise and moving forward.
Las Vegas sportsbooks have Watson as the odds-on favorite to start for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in 2021.
It is among this uncertainty an argument could be made for the vastly unpopular O’Brien. Like the current seemingly indefinite nature of the COVID-19 “stay-at-home” orders, many fans feel the same way about O’Brien’s term as both Coach and General Manger of the Texans. However, beyond this fact there are major reasons for optimism moving forward into the 2020 regular season.