2023 NFL Free Agency – Page 13

Derek Carr would meet Texans’ QB need and free up draft obligations

The Houston Texans would be able to address other roster needs if they acquired Derek Carr ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.

The Houston Texans may have two first-round picks, six selections in the top-103, and tied for the most choices of the three-day event with 12, but their highest-valued commodity is already committed.

The Texans need an upgrade at quarterback, and the 2023 NFL draft offers a quartet of fascinating signal callers in Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis. This means the Texans’ No. 2 overall pick in Round 1 is virtually committed to taking a quarterback.

What if the Texans just didn’t take a quarterback with that selection and were thus unbound from shoring up the position in April? What if Houston addressed quarterback much sooner in the offseason?

According to the scouting department at the 33rd Team, the Texans trade with the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the draft in their latest mock and have field general squared away with Derek Carr. Houston then uses that selection to give new coach DeMeco Ryans a weapon on the edge.

In a surprising turn of events, the Texans pivot off of drafting a young quarterback, land Derek Carr in a trade with the Raiders prior to the draft and build their defense by landing talented Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson.

The Texans give Carr a young weapon in TCU wideout Quentin Johnston at No. 12 overall (Round 1).

Carr will be 32 years old when the 2023 season starts. Houston would be getting a known product in David Carr’s younger brother, which is is positive and negative. Houston would have an idea of what Carr can do and also what he can’t. The Texans would need to ensure they build a roster that can accommodate for the things Carr can’t do.

Stroud goes atop the draft to the Indianapolis Colts, who make a deal with the Chicago Bears. Young ends up going No. 5 overall to the Seattle Seahawks. The Carolina Panthers trade up with the Detroit Lions to take Levis at No. 6. Richardson goes No. 16 overall to Washington.

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CBS Sports sees S Jonathan Owens as Texans’ free agent they ‘can’t afford to lose’

Jonathan Owens has been a staple in the Houston Texans’ secondary, and CBS Sports believes they can’t afford to lose him in free agency.

There have been very few constants for the Houston Texans since 2019, but one of them has been Jonathan Owens.

The former 2018 undrafted safety has played 31 games for Houston over the past four seasons, starting in 19 contests. The 5-11, 210-pound defensive back had his most productive year in 2022 with 125 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, one quarterback hit, and four pass breakups through 17 starts.

According to Cody Benjamin from CBS Sports, Owens is the one impending free agent the Texans can’t afford to let go.

The Texans have been shuffling spare parts with all their cap space ever since Nick Caserio took over, so it’s no surprise they don’t even have premium pieces to retain. Owens, 27, is an intriguing low-risk, high-reward safety, however, after a fifth-year breakout as a full-time starter. His 125 tackles ranked second on a young but occasionally feisty defense.

The challenge for Owens would be whether or not he could fit in with new coach DeMeco Ryans’ system. However, Owens went through a few changes in defenses with the Texans. In 2020, he went from playing Romeo Crennel’s style of 3-4 defense to new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s attacking style modeled after Rex Ryan’s schemes with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets in the 2000s. In 2021, Owens went from the 3-4 to Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2, which the Texans played for the past two years and at least gave Owens some consistency.

If Owens was able to adapt to those changes, then it shouldn’t be too much of an issue for him to adjust to Ryans’ system.

What may convince Houston to let Owens walk is if they believe he could stop the progress of any young safeties on the roster, or if the Texans believe they need to draft a younger, blue-chip prospect to pair with Jalen Pitre.

Owens has utility as a special teamer with 253 such snaps over his career. Despite playing 971 defensive snaps, Owens still found a way to contribute in the transition phase of the game with 71 special teams snaps.

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DeMeco Ryans hire could mean Texans target 49ers CB Emmanuel Moseley in free agency

If the Houston Texans want to consider a San Francisco 49ers free agent to follow DeMeco Ryans, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley has to be on the list.

The Houston Texans have the fourth-most salary cap space in the NFL for 2023 at $37.1 million. They should be able to sign a couple veteran free agents to help complete the rebuild.

According to Jordan Dajani from CBS Sports, one name the Texans should consider is San Francisco 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who is coming off a torn ACL sustained in Week 5. With his former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans taking a job with the Texans, it makes sense for Houston to at least consider Moseley.

Maybe the Texans are finally moving in the right direction with the hire of DeMeco Ryans. They have plenty of work to do in this rebuild, but something he should consider doing is taking one of his cornerbacks with him to H-Town in Emmanuel Moseley. He tore his ACL in 2022, but that may just help Ryans steal him in free agency. Moseley turns 27 in March, and allowed a 57.0 passer rating when targeted in 2021. He’s an underrated player that GM John Lynch has said he wants back.

Moseley was a name the Texans Wire had listed as a free agent to consider from the divisional round.

The former 2018 undrafted free agent from Tennessee generated 162 combined tackles, five tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and 33 pass breakups through 45 games, 33 of which he started.

Houston has a dominant cornerback of the future in Derek Stingley. The Texans also have cornerback Steven Nelson under contract. However, adding Moseley would be the type of lieutenant or example that Ryans could use to install his new mindset and scheme inside NRG Stadium.

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Texans have nothing to lose re-signing WR Chris Moore

The Houston Texans would have nothing to lose if they brought back receiver Chris Moore, who is set to hit free agency.

Chris Moore had a career year.

The former Baltimore Ravens 2016 fourth-round pick caught 48 passes for 548 yards and two touchdowns through 16 games, seven of which he started for the Houston Texans. Only in 2017 did Moore catch more touchdown passes with three.

It wasn’t like Moore was simply benefiting from the coverages receivers Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins drew; instead Moore was the No. 1 wideout for the game as both were typically injured. In Moore’s biggest game — Week 14 at the Dallas Cowboys — both Collins and Cooks were out. Moore caught 11 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown in the 27-23 loss at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Moore signed a one-year contract in the 2022 offseason worth $1.87 million. The 6-1, 200-pound wideout is no stranger to one-year deals with Houston as he signed one when joining the team in 2021.

According to Field Yates from ESPN, the Texans will re-sign Moore in the offseason.

Will they re-sign wide receiver Chris Moore? Yes. The Texans have the cap space to keep pretty much any of their free agents, and Moore should stick around. The receiver room is likely to experience plenty of change, but Moore deserves credit for the way he stepped up. The cost won’t be prohibitive, and Moore caught 48 passes for 548 yards in 2022.

Bringing back Moore would be beneficial for the receiver room as the former Cincinnati Bearcat has proven to be a reliable veteran, not just for young receivers to lean upon, but also for quarterbacks to count on when availability issues hit the receiving corps.

Houston will also need a veteran they can rely on if they decide to move on from Cooks, who may seek a trade in the offseason as he is done with rebuilds. If Houston is cultivating Collins, a healthy and recovered John Metchie, and a top-100 pick rookie into a young receiving corps, it will bring more security if Moore can be a part of that cohesion.

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Texans should consider bringing back DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo regardless of new defensive scheme

The Houston Texans should consider bringing back DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, even if they go with a new coach who doesn’t run the Tampa 2.

The Houston Texans’ coaching search represents another opportunity to move on from the Tampa 2, which the club has run since 2021.

The Texans were running the 3-4 defense from 2011-20. After the firing of Bill O’Brien as coach and general manager, Houston hired David Culley as coach, and Lovie Smith was hired as defensive coordinator.

Houston signed former Los Angeles Rams 2018 fifth-round pick Ogbonnia Okoronkwo in 2022 free agency to provide the Texans effective rushmen in Smith’s scheme. The former Alief Taylor High School product delivered with 44 combined tackles, 5.0 sacks, nine tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble through 17 games, eight of which he started.

According to Pro Football Focus, among the Texans’ upcoming free agents, Okoronkwo ranks as their best with a 75.1 grade for the 2022 campaign.

Some players can’t translate between schemes. However, Okoronkwo started out as an outside linebacker in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 scheme with the Rams. If the Texans were to go back to a 3-4, or incorporate any stand-up pass rush elements, Okoronkwo would be able to fit in.

Another trait that Okoronkwo brings to the defensive line is “pure energy,” according to Texans defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire.

“He’s energy, pure energy,” Cesaire said on Dec. 15. “If you look at him, he’s always got a smile on his face. He loves the game. You can tell he really loves the game. The way he rushes, the way he attacks the line of scrimmage. He’s not the biggest guy on the field, but he’s got the biggest heart. He’s a guy that you trust and rely on each play.”

The Texans signed Okoronkwo to a one-year, $3.25 million contract in the offseason. The 6-1, 253-pound edge defender make his opportunity count.

“Anytime we put Ogbo (Okoronkwo) in there, he made it count,” said Cesaire. “That consistency developed into him becoming a starter, and you’re seeing that consistency now from him.”

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Houston Texans free agency: Player to consider from each NFL divisional playoff team

The Houston Texans should take a look at these upcoming free agents from the 2022 NFL divisional round.

The NFL divisional playoffs are here.

The last time the Houston Texans were in the divisional round was 2019, and that is about all the detail that Clutch City sports fans want with regards to that fact.

As the Texans add to their roster in 2023, they will need to look to free agency, not just to fill holes, but to find players who can make an impact.

Not every team in the divisional round will have an impact player about to hit free agency; some will have hold-the-fort guys. Even so, their addition to the roster is helpful.

Here is an upcoming free agent per team in the divisional round the Texans should consider in March. All salary cap figures are via Spotrac.