Tag: NFL trade 2020

Report: Seahawks tried to trade for Texans OLB Jacob Martin

The Seattle Seahawks reportedly were interested in trading with the Houston Texans to reacquire outside linebacker Jacob Martin.

The Seattle Seahawks may have made a mistake when they traded with the Houston Texans to acquire Jadeveon Clowney at the end of the 2019 preseason.

In the trade, the NFC West club gave up a 2020 third-round pick, outside linebackers Jacob Martin and Barkevious Mingo for the Pro Bowl edge defender.

At the time, it wasn’t that bad of a deal. Martin was a former 2018 sixth-round pick who recorded 3.0 sacks in his rookie season. Mingo was a former Cleveland Browns first-round pick. Houston flipped the draft pick to acquire cornerback Gareon Conley from the Oakland Raiders.

Over the course of the season, Martin produced 3.5 sacks while Clowney had 3.0. Since the trade, Martin has 5.5 sacks, which would be the most by a Seahawks defender over that span had he stayed with the team.

Seattle reportedly wanted Martin back, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

The deal compensation wasn’t enough for the Texans to consider parting ways with a defender who is tied for the third-highest sacks on the team with 2.0.

With Martin still a part of the Texans’ pass rush, they are hoping he can help Houston improve their 1-6 record in the final nine games.

Romeo Crennel hopes Texans can focus on winning with trade deadline over

Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel hopes that the team can get back to focusing on themselves and winning now that the trade deadline is over.

The 2020 NFL trade deadline passed on Tuesday, and the Houston Texans did not execute any deals.

Interim coach Romeo Crennel was famous for saying earlier this week he would not take “peanuts” just for the Texans to be sellers at the trade deadline.

“When you’re talking about trading, I’m not taking peanuts, right,” Crennel said Wednesday via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “Nobody really came through with a deluxe nut package. If there had been some deluxe nuts laid out on the table, it could have been a different deal.”

There were reportedly deals in place for the Texans to trade receiver Will Fuller and outside linebacker Jacob Martin, who have been key contributors for the team, despite their 1-6 record. Fuller has caught 31 passes for 490 yards and five touchdowns as the new No. 1 receiver. Martin has produced 2.0 sacks, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

Now that the deadline has passed, Crennel hopes the team can get back to focusing on themselves and recovering their 1-6 record and finishing respectably in 2020, if not backdooring into the postseason as a wildcard.

“That’s what should happen,” Crennel said. “Guys aren’t worried about being traded and stuff like that. Now, let’s focus on football and trying to win some games.”

The Texans’ first crack to win games comes against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at TIAA Bank Field. Houston’s lone win of the season game against Jacksonville 30-14 at NRG Stadium, and the chances for a sweep appear to be high as the Jaguars will roll out sixth-round rookie quarterback Jake Luton while two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson will make his eighth start for Houston.

Fuller caught four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown in the Week 5 win while Martin provided the defense with three combined tackles, 1.0 sack, a quarterback hit, and a forced fumble.

 

Does Texans WR Will Fuller want to be traded?

Houston Texans WR Will Fuller posted a GIF suggesting anxiety or impatience over an hour before the NFL trade deadline. Does he want to be dealt?

Houston Texans receiver Will Fuller posted an interesting GIF on Tuesday with about an hour and a half to go until the 2020 NFL trade deadline.

Unless the former 2016 first-round pick from Notre Dame is just a big “Little Rascals” fan and Spanky was his favorite character, Fuller posted a GIF that is synonymous with impatience, or waiting for an event to transpire.

Maybe Fuller is getting anxious over the presidential election returns.

The 26-year-old, who is in the last year of his rookie contract, has to know that the team isn’t going to part ways with their No. 1 receiver without a compensation package the team deems fair.

“We will trade, but, I mean, I’ve told you before, I’m not trading for peanuts,” interim coach Romeo Crennel said Monday. “If they want to make a substantial offer, then we will consider it.”

The Green Bay Packers are a team that is interested in Fuller, according to reports.

The average run time for a “Little Rascals” film was about 15 minutes. Maybe Fuller could chill and watch this playlist until the trade deadline passes.

Don’t expect Texans to be sellers at the 2020 NFL trade deadline

Houston Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair says the team probably won’t be active at the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 3.

If Houston Texans fans were hopeful that the team would trade quality assets at the Nov. 3 deadline to build draft capital, they may need to temper expectations.

So says team chairman and CEO Cal McNair, who joined Texans play-by-play voice Marc Vandermeer on Sports Radio 610 Monday morning and said the club doesn’t have any “big moves” in the works.

“We like our players,” McNair said. “We like our team. We have a lot of season left, a lot to play for. There’s an extra wildcard game this year, and, so, you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

McNair, who describes himself as “extremely optimistic,” believes the Texans have a shot at qualifying for one of the three AFC wildcards this postseason.

“I don’t believe in giving up, and we won’t,” said McNair. “Our team won’t. Our ownership won’t. Our coaches won’t. We’re going to go out there and believe in each other, win one game at a time and see where this season is.”

The Texans get a shot to fix their record and build momentum when they face the Jacksonville Jaguars at 12:00 p.m. CT at TIAA Bank Field Sunday. If the Texans can get a win and sweep their AFC South rivals, things will start to feel a little more optimistic and the club will have tangible momentum as they finish out their final nine games.

“This story on the season is not written yet,” said McNair. “So, we want to go out and give our guys a chance and we’re going to see what happens. It’s going to be fun.”

Enough of the story has Houston seeking to overcome a 1-6 record and attempt to qualify for the playoffs. If the Texans can meet the optimism McNair has for the 2020 team, it will no doubt make for one heck of a story.

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Report: Texans listening to trade offers for their receivers

The Houston Texans may have to be sellers at the trade deadline. If they are, teams would be interested in their receivers.

If the Houston Texans are going to be sellers at the trade deadline, they have to be willing to part with some of their receivers.

According to a report from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, teams are curious to see what it would take to acquire one of the Texans receivers prior to the Nov. 3 trade deadline at 3:00 p.m. Central Time.

The Houston Texans are listening to offers for their wide receivers, most notably Brandin Cooks and Kenny Stills. Other teams have inquired about Will Fuller.

Stills hasn’t had as many opportunities in the new-look offense with just 10 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown on 18 targets. While the Texans kept the 28-year-old, who is in the last year of his contract, around just in case there were injuries that hit the unit, it appears they can absorb any attrition at the position. Considering the club has Fuller, Cooks, and Randall Cobb ahead of him, why not flip Stills and get a draft pick from a team that thinks they need to bolster their receiving corps to make a significant playoff run.

If the Texans wanted to really flip a player for a draft pick, they would have to start thinking about parting ways with Cooks or Fuller.

Cooks, who came over tot he Texans as part of a pre-draft trade with the Los Angeles Rams that cost them their 90th overall pick in Round 2, has caught a team-high 34 passes for 427 yards and two touchdowns. Taking him out of the offense at this point may affect future results.

A real sign the Texans were playing for next year would be trading Fuller, who has 31 catches for 490 yards and five touchdowns. The former 2016 first-round pick is in the last year of his contract, and has actually stayed healthy and productive through the first seven games. Dealing Fuller to the right team could result in enough draft capital to start replacing the top-2 picks lost in the Laremy Tunsil trade.

It all comes to the Texans’ approach: do they view themselves as completely out of content, or do they still think they sneak into the playoffs?

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Is the lack of a real GM preventing the Texans from trading DE J.J. Watt?

The Houston Texans have an interim general manager in Jack Easterby. Is this temporary fix the reason why they aren’t trading J.J. Watt?

The Houston Texans are 1-6 and approaching the Nov. 3 trade deadline as potential sellers, or at least that is how prognosticators view the team.

According to Nate Davis from USA TODAY, one of the big pieces the club has to recoup their first and second-round selections lost in the Laremy Tunsil trade from a year ago is defensive end J.J. Watt. However, Watt doesn’t appear to be on the move. Davis speculates that could be because the Texans don’t have a real general manager in charge at the moment.

Houston Texans (1-6): No question they should be rebooting — and that means replenishing draft resources surrendered by ousted coach/GM Bill O’Brien, who already divested next year’s Round 1 and 2 selections. RB Duke Johnson and WRs Will Fuller, Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills might bring decent value. But bigger picture, whither DL J.J. Watt? The aging superstar might love the opportunity to make a Super Bowl run with, say, Seattle and letting him leave could accelerate a rebuild in Houston. But will team chairman Cal McNair sign off on any significant proposals with no permanent front office in place?

Houston currently has executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby filling in as interim general manager. Easterby took over the role after the club fired coach and general manager Bill O’Brien on Oct. 5 after the club fell 31-23 to the Minnesota Vikings to start the year 0-4.

Easterby’s wheelhouse is character development. The only football operations experience Easterby has prior to being a maven in character development was in 2004 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. From 2005-10 in the South Carolina athletics department, it was character development, the same as it was from 2011-12 with the Kansas City Chiefs, same as it was from 2013-19 with the New England Patriots.

McNair has also indicated Easterby would go back to football operations once the 2020 season is over and they have a full-time general manager in place.

Even if the Texans had a full-time general manager in place, there is no guarantee a trade would happen as Watt has expressed numerous times he intends to win a championship in Houston, not elsewhere, no matter how beneficial it could be to his career resume.

Texans’ Romeo Crennel is trying to win games, not make trades

Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel says he is more focused on improving the team’s 1-6 record, not execute trades at the deadline.

The Houston Texans are 1-6 and are missing their first two draft picks for their 2021 class; the Miami Dolphins have them as part of the 2019 trade for left tackle Laremy Tunsil.

As such, the perception is that the Texans will make moves at the trade deadline to recover their losses and add to their draft capital for 2021. However, interim coach Romeo Crennel told reporters Monday he is more concerned with improving the team’s regular season record, not so much their new talent acquisition in 2021.

“I think because of the situation other teams might look and feel like that we are vulnerable and we might be willing to make a trade for guys,” Crennel said. “But like I told the players, I’m trying to win games and I’m not trying to trade players. So, I want to keep as many good players as I can.”

Crennel’s old boss, Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, is famous for saying, “You are what your record says you are,” and Crennel won’t argue. At 1-6, their record is one that indicates they are a bad team. However, Crennel still believes there are talented players on the roster to generate wins.

“I know the record doesn’t say that we are very good, and we are what the record says we are, but we do have some talent,” said Crennel. “I think other teams realize that and they would like to get their hands on it. But most of the time in this situation, they’re offering peanuts and not offering legitimate trade value.”

Houston’s problem is their cupboard is so barren of draft picks that peanuts might seem like a legitimate meal. Nonetheless, chairman and CEO Cal McNair will have to decide which direction the team needs to go: do they trade players to recover draft picks, or do they stay the course and try to win out?

With Odell Beckham done for the year, could the Texans trade Will Fuller to the Browns?

The Cleveland Browns will be without Odell Beckham as he tore his ACL. Should the Houston Texans send them receiver Will Fuller?

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The Cleveland Browns will be without Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham for the rest of the season as he tore his ACL in the team’s 37-34 win over the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday.

The Browns are 5-2, but are in third place in a highly competitive AFC North that features the 6-0 Pittsburgh Steelers and 5-1 Baltimore Ravens. Cleveland needs to do what it must to keep pace, especially given they are four games away from posting their first winning season since 2007. Throw in the fact the NFL added an extra playoff team per conference, and the Browns could also be on the verge of their first postseason berth since 2002.

Cleveland is a team in contention.

Contrast that with the Houston Texans. At 1-6, their shot of winning the division is dwindling as the Tennessee Titans are 5-1 and already beat Houston. The Indianapolis Colts are 4-2. The Texans still have to face the Colts twice, the Titans, and Chicago Bears. Already needing a ride a wave of perfection just to get into the playoffs, the Texans’ chances of getting into the playoffs are slim.

The Browns have a need, and so do the Texans.

Because of the past regime’s moves, Houston’s first and second round picks for 2021 went to the Miami Dolphins to acquire Laremy Tunsil. As such, the Dolphins will be the big beneficiaries from Houston’s disastrous finish.

Even if the Texans do nothing at the trade deadline, they go into the offseason missing two picks in the top-100 while trying to orchestrate a soft rebuild.

Houston needs draft picks.

The former 2016 first-round pick from Notre Dame is in the final year of his contract. By sending Fuller to Cleveland for draft picks, it allows him to showcase what he can do for a team in contention and get a head start on free agency. It could also help the Texans stock the cupboard draft picks wise. Even if they get a third or lower for Fuller, they can combine that with their other picks to get back into the top-100 and start picking players who can really help the team.

With the trade deadline looming, the Texans need to be sellers and start looking at putting themselves in the best position to win 2021 as their current chances are probably shot.

Texans attempting to control what is within their realm at the trade deadline

The Houston Texans are approaching the trade deadline, but the message is to control what they can and not listen to the outside noise.

The Houston Texans are 1-6, and given their first and second round picks for 2021 are with the Miami Dolphins, the club won’t be able to recoup the sufferings of their 2020 season.

As such, it makes the Texans “sellers” at the trade deadline among Houston sports fan and in the media.

After the Texans’ 35-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 7 at NRG Stadium, interim coach Romeo Crennel declared he had nothing to say to the players about the trade deadline.

“I have no message for them about the trade deadline,” Crennel said. “I mean, I don’t even think about that. I think about losing and winning.”

For receiver Brandin Cooks, who has been traded three times in his career, though in the offseason and not at the in-season deadline, the message is to focus on the elements that are within your control.

“At the end of the day you’ve just got to, once again, continue to focus and do what you can,” said Cooks, who caught seven passes for 60 yards. “Those things are out of guys’ control. You can’t be thinking about that. You’ve just got to go and show up to work and show up that you love this game and be there for your teammates regardless of what the rumors are.”

Cooks stated there were “so many lies out in our media today.”

Said Cooks: “We just have to tune out that noise and focus within our building, and that’s the most important thing. I know it’s a cliché answer, but I think that’s what you’ve got to do.”

Houston goes into the bye week and will be able to regroup from the disastrous start. If the Texans can keep the outside noise from affecting them during their time off, they should be able to reasonably rebound starting Week 9 at the Jacksonville Jaguars.