The Houston Texans made a splash in the second wave of free agency with the signing of former Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Matt Kalil.
Wade Smith, a former Pro Bowl guard for the Texans from 2010-13 and current Sports Radio 610 on-air personality, broke down the new free agent acquisition in a piece for the Entercom station.
In summation, after watching the film, I understand why he was offered and signed a one year deal. If HEALTHY, he’s a low-risk, high-reward upgrade at LT. If he can consistently play with a chip on his shoulders, then bringing in Matt Kalil will be a STEAL. Problem is, I haven’t seen him consistently play with that aforementioned chip. One game (LIONS) out of the six I watched did I say to myself, this is why scouts/teams loved him coming out of USC. This is why he was a 1st rounder. The Texans need THAT Guy
Therein lies the crux of the Kalil tenure: If the former fourth overall pick from the 2012 NFL draft is healthy and has a solid season protecting quarterback Deshaun Watson’s blindside, then Kalil will be the new Tyrann Mathieu, a Gaine gamble that excelled on the one-year prove it deal. If Kalil is running with the herd of Julién Davenport and Martinas Rankin, then the Texans offensive line will be no worse than it was in 2018. Of course, that also sets the expectations for how far the club can go.
