The Houston Texans will have some decisions to make at the end of the 2021 season.
Wideouts Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb will have potential outs in their contracts. Cooks can be designated a post-June 1 cut, but will have to pay $2.5 million in dead money against the salary cap. Cobb can be cut sooner, but Houston will have to pay a comparable $2.5 million in dead money.
Former 2018 fourth-round pick Keke Coutee will be out of a contract by that point. Chris Conley will also be out of a contract.
The openings for a rookie wideout will be there. What general manager Nick Caserio will have to consider is how much the Texans want to give up to provide a younger complement to 2021 third-round pick Nico Collins.
If the Texans are looking for a playmaker, they ought to keep in mind Arkansas Razorbacks receiver Treylon Burks.
According to NFL.com draft expert Daniel Jeremiah, Burks reminds him of Tennessee Titans receiver A.J. Brown.
He reminds me of: A.J. Brown. I remember watching Brown torch the SEC from the slot. Brown is a little more explosive than Burks, but both guys play with tremendous physicality and toughness. They aren’t afraid to work in traffic and they become special once the ball is in their hands. Brown has already established himself as a premier player at his position in the NFL. I don’t believe Burks has quite the same upside, but I see him developing into a solid No. 2 target at the next level.
Jeremiah also says that Burks has the ability at 6-3, 232 pounds to still be athletic enough to function in jet sweeps and reverses — a la Deebo Samuel with the San Francisco 49ers.
Burks will be tested every week as the Hogs play in the SEC West, which means they will see the likes of Alabama, LSU, and Texas A&M. Arkansas also plays Georgia, which gives Burks another opportunity to go against the best in the conference.