The Houston Texans are in win-now mode, and with just a handful of teams in the Super Bowl discussion, they want to firmly place themselves in that tier. Their current roster does have what it takes, especially with a revamped offensive line and receiving corps; however, they certainly have a few holes that could be filled.
Houston has draft capital it could trade away, although it does have limited cap space available. Nonetheless, the Texans should be able to make it work for the right player, and ClutchPoints might have dropped the name that Houston fans should be drooling over. Enzo Flojo touched on why Trey Hendrickson is the best addition for Houston and would push the team to that next level.
However, the cost for the star defensive end would be far from cheap as that is his current issue with the Cincinnati Bengals. Hendrickson doesn't seem interested in playing under his expiring contract and hasn't been able to get much traction in a new deal.
Here's a part of what Flojo wrote on Hendrickson.
"Hendrickson has made it clear: he won’t suit up for the Bengals again without a new contract. Cincinnati is already dealing with their own cap priorities and youth movement. As such, they gave him permission to seek a trade earlier this year. Sure, other teams have been rumored as landing spots. However, the Texans make far more sense if they’re serious about winning now," Flojo said.
To be fair, the Texans defense is already going to be among the best in the league, but the saying is "defense wins championships," so one couldn't have too many stars.
With Will Anderson Jr. on the other side of the line, Houston would have the best defensive end duo in the NFL if it was able to acquire Hendrickson. Anderson Jr. ended last season with 11 sacks while Hendrickson totaled 17.5 per season in two straight years.
Trey Hendrickson just spoke for 22 minutes. Says he will not play this season on his current contract.
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) May 13, 2025
His arrival today at voluntary OTAs is a result of things becoming “personal” after being informed by Zac Taylor on Monday he would be fined for missing mandatory minicamp. pic.twitter.com/M5dJ7Vko2r
So far, it appears the asking price by the Bengals is too steep for other teams to pay in a trade, but if things don't get sorted out soon in Cincinnati, things could get ugly. This could be a situation to monitor moving forward.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!