Texans' trades feel panicky rather than prudent

There’s a power vacuum at the top of the Houston Texans' front office, and rushing to fill the void is head coach Bill O’Brien. A year ago, O’Brien was coming off a 4-12 season he barely survived. Now, with a series of moves that are head-scratching, O’Brien is setting himself up for a potential do-or-die season when he didn’t really need to.

For some coaches, it’s just that important to have their imprint on the roster. In trading Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle, Houston ended a protracted drama that for a while suggested the defensive end would have signed the franchise tag and stayed. But then he found out the team was shopping him. Players are increasingly wary of the franchise tag as a method of control, and Clowney is just the latest to force a move rather than allow a team to dictate exactly when he might even pursue a new deal. 

Clowney’s fate has been tied to O’Brien’s for his entire pro career. The No. 1 pick of the 2014 draft, Clowney was on the verge of bust status after repeated injuries claimed 15 of his first 32 games. He eventually rebounded, turning into a reliably disruptive force in the Texans’ front seven, if not quite the generational talent that he was billed. To give him up for a third-round pick, DE/OLB Barkevious Mingo and LB Jacob Martin seems like a waste, unless Houston could reap value with the cap room saved by his departure.

In the trade with the Dolphins, the Texans received good players. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil is a valuable asset for a badly underperforming offensive line. Kenny Stills isn’t a perfect complement for the Texans' receiving corps, but he is another good talent and speedy addition to a position group overflowing with both. (One wonders whether he was dealt by Miami because he dared to call out owner Stephen Ross over a fundraiser in support of Donald Trump.) If nothing else, Stills provides a matchup nightmare for four- and five-receiver sets and gives the team tremendous depth in case of injury.  

The problem is that Houston surrendered two first-round picks and a second-round pick to the Dolphins. That’s a lot to give away on the presumption this is a win-now year when running back Lamar Miller has already gone down in the preseason, Deshaun Watson is only 23 years old and signed through 2020, DeAndre Hopkins is still just 27 and signed through 2022. This is a young team with a young corps, so what’s the deal?

Part of it is surely O’Brien, basically running the show in the absence of a  general manager, knowing that a playoff one-and-done loss to the Colts last season did little to safeguard his long-term job status. Perhaps a second consecutive playoff appearance, or even a conference championship appearance, he figures, would land a few more seasons of security. The Texans must still be the presumptive favorites to repeat as AFC South champs, especially with the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck.

In some ways, Luck’s retirement must loom large over the Texans. Watson is only entering his third season, but he’s experienced serious injury (torn ACL in 2017) and more hits than most for an NFL starter. (He was sacked 62 times last season, most since Jon Kitna with 63 in 2006.) Luck has passion for the game, but after enough success and earning power, he reasoned that he was better off taking his tens of millions and enjoying with where he was in life. 

Watson hasn’t yet landed the big deal, so financially he doesn’t have the ability to cut ties abruptly as Luck did, though surely the window has tightened for franchise quarterbacks. Yes, Tom Brady has expanded the potential ceiling for NFL careers, but Luck has shown there’s potentially a generation of guys who don’t prize longevity if it means definitely sacrificing a fulfilling life. 

That has to send a message to team architects. Couple that with a lack of leadership in a front office, and a coach who feels the ground shifting beneath him, and you’ll find a team in panic, underselling its best assets, and giving up too much for decent returns from another.