The Houston Texans have been a mess this offseason, and even that is an understatement. Deshaun Watson has requested a trade, and the organization keeps playing hardball with his request in an attempt to keep him.
On Friday, the team and star defensive end JJ Watt mutually agreed to part ways, and the talented lifelong Texan has now become a free agent. After just one year removed from the playoffs, they are looking at starting next season without Watt and Watson.
David Culley was brought in as head coach in a rather questionable hire, especially with a guy like Eric Bienemy available still. The circus regarding Watson might not end, and they feel inclined to keep him at all costs, despite his insistence to seek a trade and play somewhere else next season.
The Texans might be the worst franchise in football right now and are probably going to be suffering severe rebuilding years whether Watson is there or not. With that being said, there are some moves the Texans might make to their roster, especially with a new head coach and new general manager.
They have a lot of problems going on in Texas, and the new regime is going to be extremely busy this offseason in an attempt to right the ship that Bill O'Brien left them with. It was just a year ago that this team held a huge lead in a playoff game against the Chiefs before Patrick Mahomes came storming back and the Chiefs went on to win the Super Bowl.
Still, they fall fast and hard, and the Texans franchise has a lot of issues to work out if they want to have any form of relevancy in 2021, with the Watson situation at the height of it all.
There are a lot of ways this Texans team can decide to go this year, but cutting some players to create extra cap space might be one, especially considering the fact that they seem to be throwing in the towel with eyes focused towards the future.
RB David Johnson
Hold on, the Texans traded star wide receiver Deandre Hopkins just last offseason for Johnson, so why cut him?
Well, that deal was never well-liked among Texans fans, although Johnson had a decent season in 2020. He was the team's leading rusher with 691 yards in only 12 games, and he added 314 yards receiving on 33 catches.
He can still play quality football, but with a cap hit of $8.8 million and the Texans in the midst of a huge rebuilding phase, apparently, it might be time to cut the cord and move on from him.
David Johnson (+1300) scores the first TD of the NFL season to give the Texans (+9.5) a 7-0 lead in Arrowhead @betthepigskin
pic.twitter.com/bDXOQNwpKG— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) September 11, 2020
If Watson gets traded, they will more than likely bring in a young quarterback or a veteran stopgap, and the loss of Watt won't make this defense any better.
The new front office has some tough decisions to make regarding the future of this team and they might grab a running back in the draft or perhaps take a flier on a younger back, somebody like Marlon Mack for example.
This offseason has gotten off to a disastrous start for the Houston organization and it's only a matter of time before Watson is shipped off for picks or some players, further digging the hole of this new direction the franchise is heading towards.
Johnson was excellent with the Arizona Cardinals, but anytime you have a chance to add a player with the caliber of Hopkins you do it without thinking twice, and perhaps a reunion in Arizona makes sense for Johnson.
He should have plenty of suitors, especially for a veteran back, but the fact that he's trending towards the wrong side of 30 makes this an even more obvious cut for the Texans.
The trade of Hopkins for Johnson was never a good one at all and will go down in history as one of the all-time worst trades in all of the sports, considering the fact that Hopkins remains one of the best receivers in the league who just had a monster year with the Arizona Cardinals.
Johnson should have no problem finding a job somewhere else if he does indeed get cut, or traded for that matter. The running back market has a lot of available names in free agency and with the way the Texans' offseason has started, there might be a lot of new faces in that locker room next season.
One thing is for sure though, there is going to be several years of agony ahead for Texans fans as they look to rebuild and get back to relevancy after lots of drama over the last year.
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