The Houston Texans have pretty much tapered off in their signings during the free agency period, which makes it a perfect time to evaluate their haul from the 2019 offseason. Here are some studs and duds from general manager Brian Gaine’s second full offseason.
Stud: S Tashaun Gipson
Fresh off of losing safety Tyrann Mathieu, the Texans inked the former Jacksonville Jaguar safety to a three-year contract worth $22 million. Gipson is a former Pro Bowl safety for the Cleveland Browns in 2014. Along with safety Barry Church, Gipson provided help on the back end to a defense that was a play away from upsetting the New England Patriots in the 2017 AFC championship game. Gipson is able to provide leadership in the secondary while also being a part of a rotation that includes second-year safety Justin Reid and playmaker Andre Hal.
Dud: CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun
The Texans needed to replace defensive back Kareem Jackson or Kevin Johnson and find a nice transition player to bridge the gap between aging Johnathan Joseph and the next generation. Instead, they found a player to replace Kayvon Webster and Shareece Wright. Boddy-Calhoun had an explosive rookie season with three interceptions and 11 pass deflections. However, he was not able to have the same presence in his last two seasons in Cleveland. The 5-9, 193-pound cornerback is more of a fill-in type player and not starting caliber, which is what the Texans need opposite of Joseph.
Stud: QB A.J. McCarron
McCarron was a backup for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015, his second season in the NFL, and led the AFC North champions to a 2-1 mark while filling in for injured starter Andy Dalton. If not for a Jeremy Hill fumble that setup the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game-winning drive, and a Vontaze Burfict unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that set kicker Chris Boswell closer, perhaps McCarron would own the Bengals’ first playoff win since 1990. The former 2014 fifth-round pick from Alabama has the experience to help Deshaun Watson as he enters year three while also just enough skill to fill in if the need were to arise.
Dud: LT Matt Kalil
Instead of going after Trent Brown and really shoring up left tackle, the Texans waited until the second wave of free agency with Matt Kalil. The former fourth overall pick from the 2012 NFL draft has been underwhelming since his Pro Bowl rookie season, and he is coming off of a lost 2018 season due to a knee scope. In the past two seasons, Kalil has played in 18 games, as a hip injury cut his 2016 season short. The Texans offensive line is desperate for an overhaul and needed more than a gamble at left tackle.
Stud: Bradley Roby
Roby was finally elevated to the position of starter and played in 15 games for the Denver Broncos last season, collecting 50 combined tackles, knocking away 12 passes, intercepting another, and forcing two fumbles. Much with the same metric used to evaluate Boddy-Calhoun, Houston needed to replace either Jackson or Johnson and bridging the gap between Joseph and the next generation of Texans corners. They did that with the Roby signing, though it may appear he is more of an upgrade of Johnson than a true replacement of Jackson.
Dud: TE Darren Fells
The Texans have a budding red zone threat in 2018 sixth-round pick Jordan Thomas, which makes Fells’ role somewhat redundant. The former Cleveland Browns tight end was a key part of the team’s pass-blocking in 2018, but the addition makes the tight end room very crowded. Is Fells good enough to play Ryan Griffin off the roster? If he isn’t, then why did the Texans bother signing him? If the Texans wanted to use their cap space to help with the pass protection, they could have held off on Fells and Kalil and actually got a more premium left tackle.
