The Houston Texans will need every penny of their $77.96 million in salary cap space if they want to retain edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney and safety Tyrann Mathieu.
According to Gregg Rosenthal and Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, Clowney and Mathieu rank as both the second-best and 15th-best free agents in the 2019 free agent class.
The only edge defender ahead of Clowney is Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, who completed a season playing under the franchise tag. Lawrence produced another Pro Bowl season, his second consecutive. However, Clowney has two straight Pro Bowl seasons leading into an offseason where the Texans are expected to tag him.
Mathieu was ranked as the third-best safety in the free agent class. Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas was first and New York Giants safety Landon Collins was second. While it may be up for debate as to whether or not the two safeties are better than Mathieu, the Texans know what they have in Mathieu. The former LSU Tiger was a leader in the locker room and a player who helped with the development of young guys on both sides of the ball.
With Houston trying to retain the services of two free agents in the top-15 of this list, it is easy to see why the Texans were able to finish 11-5 and win the AFC South for the third time since 2014 under coach Bill O’Brien.
