Thomas tries to catch breath after trade
Veteran WR begins process of settling in from whirlwind period aaron.wilson@chron.com twitter.com/aaronwilson_nfl
Veteran wide receiver Demaryius Thomas’ first day at the Texans’ offices after being traded from the Broncos involved a fastpaced orientation and plenty of conversations about how he’ll fit into a high-octane offense
Whether it was getting the right-sized cleats to fit his size-13 feet or consulting with All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on a list of plays before practice Wednesday, Thomas adapted to a great deal on the fly.
After arriving in town late Tuesday night from Denver after being acquired for a fourth-round draft pick with the two franchises swapping seventh-round selections, Thomas is headed right back to Denver on Sunday for a game against his old team. The first-place Texans (5-3) play the Broncos (3-5) at Broncos Stadium at Mile High, where Thomas was a five-time Pro Bowl selection who piled up 9,055 career yards and 60 touchdown catches.
The experience of being shipped off to Houston after spending nearly nine years in Denver is a lot for Thomas to process.
“Very strange,” Thomas said. “It was strange to get traded first off, and then come here and get ready to play in the Mile High City that you’ve been playing for the last eight and a half years is very strange.”
Thomas wore a smile throughout his first day of work, one met by a warm welcome from an offense reeling from wide receiver Will Fuller's season-ending torn ACL suffered last week.
It was a different feeling for Thomas to walk into a new locker room for the first time in his career.
“It was a little nerves,” Thomas said. “It was just basically trying to take it on and trying to get comfortable with the guys, trying to see how the locker room is. So far, it’s been great. I look forward to continuing to talk to guys, pick people’s brains and go from there.”
At 6-3, 229 pounds, Thomas provides a big downfield target for quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Thomas ranks third in the NFL in receptions with 655 catches, third in receiving yards and eighth in receiving touchdowns since entering the league in 2010. Watson was the first Texans player to text Thomas after the trade.
“It’s going to be great,” Watson said. “Nothing really should stop the train. We’re going to bring him along and he’s going to fit in well.”
The 30-year-old former firstround draft pick from Georgia Tech isn’t the burner that Fuller is, but he consistently creates separation and is especially dangerous in the red zone and on contested catches.
“Obviously, he’s a proven guy, he’s been doing it for a long time,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “Tremendous amount of respect for him. You can just tell he’s a pro. Really good addition.”
Excellent credentials
Thomas, Hopkins, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown and the Cincinnati Bengals’ A.J. Green are the only receivers in the NFL to have at least 6,000 receiving yards and 40 touchdown catches since 2013.
“I like his size, I like his route tree,” O’Brien said. “I think he can do a lot of different things. I like his intelligence, his experience.
“I don’t think there’s any substitute for experience. Obviously, he’s got good hands. There’s a lot of things to like about Demaryius Thomas.”
Thomas will wear No. 87 for the Texans. He has worn No. 88 for his entire career. However, rookie tight end Jordan Akins wasn’t allowed to give it to Thomas because NFL rules dictate that a player can’t change numbers during the season if they’ve already played more than 30 percent of the team’s snaps on his side of the football.
“I was ready to pay him and everything,” Thomas said. “I was going to give him whatever he wanted for it.”
Thomas will play for $4.5 million for the remainder of the season. He’s due a non-guaranteed $14 million next year during the final year of a five-year, $70 million contract. The Texans have time to decide how to proceed after the season. For now, the priority is on getting Thomas up to speed on their playbook.
Not entirely new playbook
There is some carryover between the offenses of former Broncos coach Josh McDaniels, now the New England Patriots offensive coordinator, and O’Brien, which should help Thomas’ transition as he’ll work in tandem with Hopkins.
“I saw some familiar stuff today when I was looking at the playbook,” Thomas said. “I’m excited.”
With Thomas’ lengthy career, O’Brien said there doesn’t have to be a ton of explanation.
“Seriously, out at the walkthrough we’re talking about a route and he’s like, ‘OK, so that’s like this,’ and this route that he used to run, maybe they call it a little bit different,” O’Brien said. “But, yes, like a rookie would never be able to say that. The experience that he has in different offenses definitely is a help.”
The Broncos plan to honor Thomas on Sunday for his years of service. His former teammates expect a tough test against a highly motivated athlete.
“I don’t expect D.T. to come out there and know their whole offense that fast,” Broncos cornerback Chris Harris told Denver reporters. “Just come out there, probably run some basic routes. Just try to give him the ball, something easy just to get him going.
“It’s going to be fun. You know D.T. is going to want to come up here and prove us wrong why we traded him and make big plays. So, we’ve got to stop that.”
Sunday promises to be an emotional day for Thomas.
“It’ll be tough,” Thomas said. “But that’s ball and I have to deal with it.”