The Houston Texans announced on April 10 they agreed to trade with the Los Angeles Rams for receiver Brandin Cooks.
The move to acquire another speed receiver isn’t good news for Keke Coutee and Kenny Stills as Cooks’ skill set makes theirs redundant.
Stills is in the final year of his contract, and cutting the former New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins wideout wouldn’t cost the Texans anything in dead money. However, they would have to pay $7 million to keep him on the roster. In 2019, the former 2013 fifth-round pick from Oklahoma caught 40 passes for 561 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games, five of which he started. Stills found utility filling in for injured No. 2 receiver Will Fuller and also as a third receiver, a role that Coutee was not able to claim in 2019.
For Coutee, his contract would cost the Texans $932,256 against the salary cap and $364,514 in dead money if they got rid of him. Aside from two 11-catch performances against the Indianapolis Colts his rookie season that went for 109 and 110 yards respectively, Coutee has been underwhelming since the Texans drafted him in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Coutee’s rookie season was limited to six games due to a hamstring injury, and his 2019 season was affected by ankle injuries and battling with Stills, DeAndre Carter, and Steven Mitchell for playing time.
If the Texans were to deal either of the receivers, it could be before or during the upcoming draft. Even with a deep receiving class, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the scouting and visits teams usually have with prospects. Teams may feel it is safer to get a reliable veteran such as Stills rather than use a draft pick on a receiver about whom they don’t have adequate information as they did in drafts past.
Should the NFL draft transpire and Stills and Coutee are still on the roster, the next target date would be the mandatory cuts at the end of preseason to assemble a 53-man roster. Either could be traded away or cut outright.
