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The Houston Texans had another typical season in 2019. They finished 10-6 and won the AFC South for the fourth time in five years. The Texans were dominated in Kansas City in the Divisional Round of the playoffs after grabbing an early 24-0 lead. This was yet another season where Houston found themselves in the playoffs but were never taken seriously as contenders.
That has been the theme. The Texans have made the playoffs six times since 2011. They have lost in the Divisional Round four times and the Wild Card Round twice. There is a lot of work to do on the field and the capability of their front office to do so is in question. Bill O'Brien has recently been promoted to general manager of the team and will still serve as the head coach. This comes after a game against the Chiefs where many thought he would be fired.
Houston's defense is not great and needs help. Their offense features Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins… and not much else. Sometimes to free up cap space, teams have to part ways with some bigger names. The Texans have that option.
Hargreaves or Fuller?
Houston has options on both sides of the ball. Will Fuller and/or Vernon Hargreaves should be on the hot seat. Both players come with a decent chunk of salary and cutting them would clear up space.
Fuller was taken in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Texans and has underachieved since he got there. This is mainly because he has not been able to stay on the field. Fuller played 14 games as a rookie and that is the most of any season in his career. In 11 games in 2019, Fuller finished with 49 catches for 670 yards and three touchdowns. The bottom line is that he is replaceable.
Hargreaves is a former first round selection of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was picked up off waivers by Houston this season and did not produce much. Cutting Hargreaves would clear $9.9 million in cap space for the Texans.
The Texans need cap space because they need to be aggressive in free agency. This is a team that needs to get over the hump and that can be done by going big in free agency and nailing the draft. Also, it can be done by cutting players who are not worth their money. Fuller is set to make $10.1 million in 2020. Cutting him would clear up much needed cap space.
It is almost a coin toss on which player would be more beneficial to get rid of. The popular answer would most likely be Hargreaves, but Fuller is set to make more money and has not been reliable whatsoever. Either way, Houston needs to make moves here.
