Three Texans Trade Candidates to Watch This Offseason

More than likely, Davis Mills will head into Week One as the Texans' backup quarterback. But in the off-chance that an opposing team offers an appealing package to Houston for his services, he certainly wouldn't be untouchable to acquire.

Mills wasn't perfect in his reps as a starter last season. But he finished 3-0 in that stretch, didn't make mistakes, and is a well-liked veteran in Houston's locker room that could translate as a solid option under center for other teams.

The uncertainty revolving around C.J. Stroud and his future could keep the Texans incentivized to keep Mills onboard for now. But with their backup entering the last year of his current contract with the possibility of leaving next offseason, right now would be a pretty ideal time to sell high in a trade.

2. Xavier Hutchinson | WR

The Texans' wide receiver room is already set to look thinner-headed into next season without Christian Kirk on the roster, but trading Xavier Hutchinson could make the room even slimmer. And a move wouldn't be too outrageous to imagine.

The Texans head into the last year of Hutchinson's rookie deal, where they could shed over $3 million in cap by cutting or releasing him if they didn't see a future with him on the roster. He played well enough last year for a roster spot, which would make him more worthy of a trade candidate than a cut. 

Considering Houston has Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, Tank Dell, and Jaylin Noel in their wide receiver room as is, Hutchinson could end up falling to WR5 on the depth chart by the time training camp comes around, barring any rookie additions.

If Nick Caserio wanted to cash in on value in the form of a late-round pick, sending out Hutchinson would make sense.

3. Blake Fisher | OT

The Texans haven't been shy to trade some of their tenured offensive line pieces both in this offseason and in years past. Tytus Howard and Juice Scruggs are the latest to fall into that trend in the last two weeks, and recent moves upfront could put Blake Fisher in the sights as the next odd man out.

Houston now has both Blake Fisher and Trent Brown who can play right tackle in 2026. That's in just one week of free agency and without any draft additions who can add even more competition, and prevent the Texans' former second-round pick from getting the same opportunity he's seen in the past two years, starting 15 total games.

Instead, Houston could do a similar move regarding Fisher from what was seen last offseason when they sent another former second-round lineman, Kenyon Green, to the Philadelphia Eagles for a pick swap and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

The deal that didn't work out for either side in the end, but was still a gamble worth the risk when looking back. Therefore, it could be a blueprint for how to approach another deal like it this offseason with hopes of better success.