Pro Football Focus is at it again, and this time the football analytics firm claims the Houston Texans did not make a best move in free agency.
Author Anthony Treash listed the best and worst moves of all 32 teams in the 2020 NFL free agency period. According to Treash, the AFC South champions for the past two seasons did not make a best move at all.
Outside of the obvious trade, Houston re-signed cornerback Bradley Roby and brought in wide receiver Randall Cobb on contracts that were larger than many thought. Neither of those moves was really that great considering Roby was the 68th most valuable cornerback in 2019 and Cobb has ranked above 50th at his position in PFF receiving grade just once in the last five years. That said, let’s just move onto Houston’s most notable and controversial move made from last week:
The evaluation is a little harsh and even unfair given that the whole premise of the article is that each team made a good and bad move in free agency. Even the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were also selling off talent and have thus far failed to reach a long-term agreement with defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, had a “best move” in free agency.
If the Texans need to be excoriated more for their trading of DeAndre Hopkins for David Johnson and a couple of draft picks, then so be it. However, they have made a “best move” in free agency, whether it is the signing of Cobb, safety Eric Murray, or even re-signing their own players. The question is whether or not those moves will be sufficient enough to help the Texans retain their division title, let alone compete for a Super Bowl.
Houston’s impact in free agency was minimal with regards to team building. Now, the Texans must use their draft picks wisely and churn the priority free agent class to find quality depth.
