The Houston Texans have the salary cap space at $74 million to figure ways to upgrade their cornerback corps. If they are looking to free agency as part of the solution, here are four free agents general manager Brian Gaine should keep in mind.
ronald darby
The former Philadelphia Eagle tore his ACL in a Week 10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. However, the trade the Eagles made with the Buffalo Bills in 2017 was one of the reasons that helped Philadelphia win their first Super Bowl. Darby produced 77 combined tackles, four interceptions, and 21 pass deflections in his 17 career games with Philadelphia, 16 of which he started. The former 2015 second-round pick is already 25 years old, making him one of the younger free agent prospects. Houston got favorable results when giving safety Tyrann Mathieu a one-year “prove it” deal in 2018. Perhaps they could give Darby such an offer and see what happens.
bryce callahan
No doubt the former Rice Owl and Cypress Woods Wildcat would love to come back to Harris County and play at NRG Stadium. Callahan had arguably the best season of his career in 2018 with 45 combined tackles, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions, and six pass breakups in 13 games, 10 of which he started. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio sent Callahan on a few blitzes from the slot, which is how he was able to also accumulate five quarterback hits, another single-season high for his career. The Texans would be able to get a couple of serviceable seasons out of Callahan, who will turn 28 years old on Oct. 23. However, it may be a long shot as the Chicago Bears are expected to keep him.
bashaud breeland
Washington let Breeland, a former fourth-round pick of theirs from Clemson in 2014, walk after his rookie contract expired. Breeland went until late September of last season before finding work with the Green Bay Packers. Breeland started in five of his seven games with the Packers and picked off two passes, his most since 2016, and had 20 combined tackles, four pass deflections, and a fumble recovery. Breeland’s dearth of games was due to having come to Green Bay so late in the season. If the Texans plan to use their first-round pick on a cornerback, then Breeland would be good insurance to have in reserve, an upgrade over the likes of Kayvon Webster and Shareece Wright.
Pierre Desir
The Texans took an AFC South cornerback last season in free agency, so why not add another in 2019? Desir has been looking for his place to belong since the Cleveland Browns drafted him in 2014 with a fourth-round pick. After two seasons, he bounced around the Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers in 2016 before finding a home with the Colts in 2017. Last year was Desir’s breakout year as he collected 79 combined tackles, eight pass breakups, an interception, and a fumble recovery in 16 games, 12 of which he started. Set to turn 29 on Sept. 8, the concern with signing Desir would be that Father Time may catch him in the middle of his contract with Houston. Like with Breeland, if the Texans were to sign Desir, they would need to draft quality cornerback talent within their first four picks.
