Gil Brandt doesn’t believe the Houston Texans will retain receiver Will Fuller, and their former 2016 first-round draft pick’s departure will be a part of the retooling of the team’s receiving corps.
Over at NFL.com, the Pro Football Hall of Fame personnel guru wrote that Fuller should expect to hit free agency and find a new team.
Christmas appears to have come early for Fuller, in the form of a Houston Chronicle report that the Texans aren’t expected to tag him this offseason. Fuller’s injury history — he’s appeared in more than 11 games in just one of his previous five seasons) and six-game PED suspension (which must be finished in Week 1 of 2021) will scare away some receiver-needy teams, but he should still enjoy a robust market. His ability to beat opponents deep is reflected by his yards-per-catch mark of 16.6 last season. And while it’s true that it will be hard for Fuller to find a better quarterback to play with than Deshaun Watson, there’s no guarantee Watson will be in Houston next season, anyway.
With Fuller being a free agent, it may be in his best interest to see where Watson catches on first. If the three-time Pro Bowler goes to a team with a vacancy at receiver, Fuller can continue to benefit from having Watson as his quarterback. If the Texans are intent on holding Watson’s rights throughout the draft, it might be better if Fuller takes the best available option.