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Marcus Cannon is playing ball in his home state. Can the former New England Patriots right tackle mount the comeback with the Houston Texans?
Last year, Marcus Cannon was one of 67 players who opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When Cannon makes his return to the field, he will do so as a member of the Houston Texans following an offseason trade with the New England Patriots.
When healthy, Cannon has established himself as one of the best offensive linemen in the league. But health could prevent Cannon from living up to his potential as an All-Pro lineman (2016) with the Texans.
Houston Texans players have until July 2 to decide if they want to opt out of the 2021 season.
Houston Texans players have until July 2 to decide if they want to opt out of the 2021 NFL season.
According to NFL.com, the deadline is at 3:00 p.m. Central Time on July 2. Like in 2020, all opt-outs are final.
The voluntary opt outs are available to players who executed their contracts prior to Oct. 1, 2020. That means 2021 rookies are disqualified. However, they may opt out if they are deemed a higher risk. In such a case, the respective teams would still own the rights to the rookie.
In 2020, the Texans had one opt-out in defensive end Eddie Vanderdoes. However, this offseason, Houston traded with the New England Patriots to acquire right tackle Marcus Cannon, who opted out of the 2020 campaign.
Although Cannon opted out of 2020, he utilized the time to give his body a chance to recovery after nine accrued seasons in the NFL.
“This last year was amazing,” Cannon told reporters on a Zoom call on March 29. “I got a lot of time with the family. A lot of time for myself to work out and stay in shape and just get my body right. Get my body right and my mind right. It was great. It was great to have some time off from all of the bumps and bruises I’ve had over the years. The part I’m the most happy about is the time I had with my family. That was great.”
Players who are considered a higher risk for COVID-19 are entitled to a $350,000 stipend as was the case in 2020. However, voluntary opt-outs will not be given a stipend.
The Houston Texans aren’t focused in on the right tackle battle between Marcus Cannon and Tytus Howard, but are looking at the offensive line overall.
The perception is third-year right tackle Tytus Howard is battling with former New England Patriots tackle Marcus Cannon for his job.
The reality, according to Houston Texans offensive line coach James Campen, is that the team is evaluating the versatility of their offensive line, not just each particular spot.
“I think the competition is really more widespread than just two players, and I do believe that,” Campen told reporters on a Zoom call on June 8. “We have eight tackles on our roster right now, and I think seven or eight guys that can play. We have some flexibility with our linemen, which I think that is a lineman that can play more than one position and can be trained as such.”
Campen did admit that Cannon, who started 69 of his 115 games played for the Patriots from 2011-19, has been a right tackle for the majority of his career, and he didn’t, “anticipate him moving very much.”
Howard has already shown his versatility going back to his rookie season when he played left guard for the Texans throughout preseason and even started Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars at left guard. If Howard gets booted from right tackle, he could compete for one of the guard spots.
“I think that the competition is what’s going to be really exciting,” Campen said. “It’s going to help these players to get the best out of them, to motivate them, and it’s going to be a heck of a camp until this thing kicks off. I’m excited to see how it shakes out. I really am.”
Players report to training camp on July 27. The Texans offensive and defensive lines have not been wearing pads, and haven’t had the chance to hit each other. When the pads come on and hits are allowed in practice, the true evaluation begins.
The Houston Texans have open competition across the entire offensive line, according to coach David Culley.
The Houston Texans have open competition across the offensive line with virtually all positions up for grabs.
Left tackle should be safe with two-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil manning the blindside protector job. However, the other four spots are subject to open competition, according to coach David Culley.
The first-year Texans coach spent time with reporters on a Zoom call on May 27 to explain the competition process ongoing with the offensive line.
“Basically, talking about competition, that whole offensive line group, there’s competition all across there,” said Culley. “Again, those guys are multi-faceted from the standpoint of it’s not just being a right tackle or a left tackle or a left guard or a right guard. A center’s playing guard, guard’s playing center. That’s the beauty of having competition and that’s the beauty of the versatility of this offensive line here right now.”
One of the reasons the Texans are exploring the concept or versatility, even after the days of coach Bill O’Brien and offensive line coach Mike Devlin, who preached such versatility, is the acquisition of tackle Marcus Cannon from the New England Patriots. The former Patriots 2011 fifth-round pick played 115 games for New England, starting 69 games with most of them at right tackle. However, the Texans seemingly have a right tackle in former 2019 first-round pick Tytus Howard, who started 14 games in 2020 at the position.
“Basically, the competition is all across the board and we’re allowing those guys to just move around and to play to see where they best fit,” Culley said. “In order to do that, you’ve got to move them around and that’s what we’re doing right now. We’re happy with what’s happening with that at this point.”
If Cannon does take right tackle, the Texans could kick Howard inside at guard, which is where he played in the preseason of his rookie season and also one game into his rookie year.
Newly acquired Houston Texans tackle Marcus Cannon says he would prefer to play right tackle for his new team.
The Houston Texans traded for a stalwart along the New England Patriots offensive line in Marcus Cannon.
Cannon had started 69 of 115 games for the Patriots from 2011-19. It would only make sense that new Texans general manager Nick Caserio, the Patriots’ former director of player personnel, would want to bring a guy he is familiar with to Houston.
What doesn’t yet make sense is where the former 2011 fifth-round pick from TCU will be playing along the Texans’ offensive line.
When asked on March 29 in a Zoom meeting with Houston media which position he prefers more, tackle or guard, Cannon was rather candid.
“There’s not one position — well, that would be lying. I like playing right tackle,” Cannon said. “That was fun. I got into a really good rhythm.”
From 2015-19, Cannon played 62 games at right tackle for the Patriots, starting in 58 of them.
If Cannon does win the right tackle job, it leaves the question of what to do with incumbent Tytus Howard, the Texans’ 2019 first-round pick from Alabama State. Houston could kick Howard inside at a guard spot, as he was playing guard in his rookie preseason.
Cannon similarly has guard experience.
Said Cannon: “I like playing guard, on the right side playing guard. I don’t remember what year it is but I played versus the Saints one year when Dan Connolly went down, and that was fun. I’ve played the left side too, but I don’t really have a super favorite position. I’m just happy to be out there. I’ll play any position they want me to play. I’ll put in the time to get as good as I can at whatever position it is and whatever it is, I’m ready to play. I’m just happy to be a Texan.”
Left tackle is essentially manned by two-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil. The other four starting spots are up for grabs.
Newly acquired Houston Texans offensive tackle Marcus Cannon is pleased to be able to play for an NFL franchise in his home state of Texas.
After opting out of the 2020 NFL season due to COVID concerns, Houston Texans newly acquired offensive tackle Marcus Cannon will be making his return to the league in 2021. Amid his comeback to the football field, Cannon’s play inside NRG Stadium will also mark his return to Texas — his home state.
“It feels great. It’s a dream come true,” Cannon said during his virtual media availability on Monday. “I grew up in Odessa (TX) and I learned what real football is. Every kid that plays in Texas wants to play in Texas while in the NFL. I got drafted to the Patriots. And I am so thankful for the years I had there. But my dream has always been to play right here in the great state of Texas.”
Outside of growing up in Odessa, Cannon spent his collegiate years at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth. The New England Patriots selected Cannon during the 2011 NFL Draft, where he spent the first nine years of his professional career playing in Massachusetts.
In March, Texans’ first-year general manager Nick Caserio brought the 32-year-old offensive lineman home from the Patriots for a fourth and sixth round pick in this year’s draft. Houston also obtained a 2021 fifth and sixth round pick in the deal with Cannon.
Cannon said he was informed about the trade to Houston from a phone call by Bill Belichick, stating it was a bittersweet moment. He became a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots and received second-team All-Pro honors in 2016.
For Cannon, the best part about being traded to the Texans was the opportunity to tell his family that he was returning home to Texas.
“As you know, players find out before the news or teams puts stuff out,” he said. “It was fun trying to keep my family from posting things and telling too many people. It was mainly my mom. She texted me every day asking if the Texans had let the news out so she could tell all her family and friends. My family is just happy. It’s great.”
Cannon played in 115 games for New England, starting in 69 of them. The Patriots won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2014, 2016, and 2018 seasons.
The Houston Texans made a bevy of moves in free agency. Here is a grade for each acquisition.
The Houston Texans were very active in free agency, making a series of signings to bolster their roster, which is also seeing a transition from the 3-4 defense to the Tampa-2 scheme with a 4-3 front.
In keeping with general manager Nick Caserio’s theme of “hitting singles and doubles” in free agency, the signings will be graded accordingly with the same baseball theme.
The Houston Texans are swapping draft picks with the New England Patriots for OT Marcus Cannon. What exactly were those picks?
The Houston Texans have agreed to swap draft picks with the New England Patriots for the services of offensive tackle Marcus Cannon.
According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans are swapping their 2021 fourth, fifth, and sixth-round picks for the Patriots to obtain Cannon’s playing rights.
The Texans were picking at No. 109 in Round 4, No. 147 in Round 5, and No. 187 in Round 6.
Now, the Texans will be picking at No. 120 in Round 4, No. 158 in Round 5, and No. 196 in Round 6.
Coleman opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. In 2019, Coleman started 15 games for the Patriots.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio told “Payne & Pendergast” on Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] Friday that he is looking to maximize their opportunities with the limited draft resources available.
“We can’t change anything that’s happened in the past relative to contract or draft picks that may or may not been accumulated or lost,” Caserio said. “We can’t necessarily worry about that. We can only look at our situation and maximize our opportunities with the resources we have in front of us. That’s what we have a responsibility to do. That’s my responsibility with the coaching staff and with the rest of the organization.”
Swapping picks with the Patriots is one way to get a trade without having to give up any additional picks.
The Patriots and Houston Texans completed a trade involving Marcus Cannon on Sunday.
The New England Patriots have made several moves in the past couple of days, and they made another big one on Sunday. The organization traded offensive tackle Marcus Cannon to the Houston Texans, according to ESPN and NFL a network. In addition to Cannon, the Texans and Patriots are swapping picks in the fourth, fifth, and sixth round.
Cannon was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2011 draft. The TCU product was named a second-team All-Pro in 2016. He played in 115 games for the Patriots, starting in 69 for them. He was part of three Super Bowl teams for New England,
With the draft pick swap, the Patriots will move their draft picks up several spots. Their 120th overall pick will now move up to 109th overall. The 158th pick they had will move up to 147th overall. The 196th overall pick the team had will now move up a couple spots to 187th overall.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1371153770508337152
As the Patriots look to have a productive offseason, the moves have made in the last days have attested to this. It will be interesting to see what the organization does moving forward, with several holes to fill.
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The Houston Texans and New England Patriots have agreed to a trade that nets the Texans OT Marcus Cannon at the price of swapping draft picks.
The Houston Texans are making small moves ahead of the opening of free agency on March 17.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the New England Patriots are trading offensive tackle Marcus Cannon to the Texans, and all it costs Houston is the swapping of draft selections.
Cannon played in 115 games for the Patriots since 2011 when he was drafted in the fifth round out of TCU. The 6-6, 335-pound tackle started in 69 of them throughout his career, but opted out of the 2020 season.
The Texans already have Laremy Tunsil at left tackle and Tytus Howard at right tackle. Cannon provides at least a quality swing tackle and competition for second-year tackle Charlie Heck. At best, Cannon could take over the right tackle spot and allow the Texans to kick Howard inside to play guard.
In 2016, Cannon had one of the best seasons of his career and picked up a second-team All-Pro selection.
