Caserio rolling up his sleeves
After a flurry of moves, dealing with Watson high on GM’s to-do list
I like what Nick Caserio is doing with the Texans, and I believe he’s the right general manger to help the franchise rebuild and eventually return to playoff contention.
Caserio has final say on all personnel decisions, but he isn’t a magician who can wave a wand to create a renaissance overnight. I believe it’s going to take at least two offseasons for the Texans to become consistent contenders for the AFC South title again.
Over the last 11 days, no general manager has been busier than Caserio, who also negotiates contracts, as he did at New England. He’s given fans a snapshot of his plans to change a roster in desperate need of an overhaul by making two trades, signing two free agents who had been released, and agreeing to contracts Monday with 10 free agents who can sign Wednesday afternoon at 3 when the new league year begins.
Caserio has been on the job a little more than two months, and the roster is undergoing a facelift. Based on what I’ve seen so far — and after talking with 12 people who worked for, played for or cover New England — I’m confident Caserio knows what he’s doing.
Caserio spent 20 years working under Bill Belichick with the Patriots and owns six Super Bowl rings. Only time will tell, of course, because we never know for sure how a general manager will perform when he’s in charge for the first time.
One thing we do know is this: Cal McNair, the chairman and CEO, will make sure money won’t stand in the way of what Caserio believes is essential to generate a transformation. McNair doesn’t let finances affect personnel decisions made by the general manager, and he also doesn’t interfere with those decisions.
Caserio knows the McNair family spent $244 million on their players last season — more than any team in the league. Last year, McNair approved substantial contracts for quarterback Deshaun Watson, left tackle Laremy Tunsil, inside linebacker Zach Cunningham and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus.
Caserio has a six-year contract, and this is his first in charge of the personnel side of the organization. Obviously, he’s got a lot of hard work to do.
No matter how many trades Caserio makes or how many free agents he signs, as a first-time general manager, his career will be defined by a Deshaun Watson trade, what the Texans receive in return, and how coach David Culley and his staff function during the rebuilding process.
After spending 19 years watching Tom Brady become the greatest player in NFL history, Caserio knows how vital it is to have a great quarterback. If not for Brady, Caserio wouldn’t be weighed down by so much hardware.
In Watson, the Texans have a great quarterback who’s under contract through 2025. But he wants to be traded because he doesn’t want to play for the franchise anymore.
It should be clear by now Watson wants out so desperately he’s willing to sit out and lose millions, so it’s getting close to a time when Caserio should listen to trade proposals.
Caserio and Culley didn’t create the Watson controversy, but they inherited it, and it’s getting time for the general manager to accept the best offer, wish Watson good luck, try to find another franchise quarterback, and get on with the rebuild.
Depending on the quarterback Caserio acquires, what players he’s able to put around him and how Culley does as a rookie head coach, the Texans could improve on last season’s 4-12 record, or they could contend for the first pick in the draft.
In a year in which the salary cap has been reduced to $182.5 million — down from $198 million in 2020 — Caserio is smart not to create a big splash.
The Texans aren’t going to the playoffs next season, but the cap will go up substantially in 2022 and 2023 because of the NFL’s new television and streaming contracts, so the best approach is to spend wisely on free agents with short-term contracts and roll over cap dollars to next year.
In less than two weeks, Caserio has made what appear to be shrewd decisions. Last week, he signed three veterans — center Justin Britt, outside linebacker Christian Kirksey and running back Mark Ingram.
Over the weekend, Caserio made two trades for veteran players. He swapped inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney to Miami for Shaq Lawson, who played outside linebacker in the Dolphins’ 3-4 and will switch to end in defensive coordinator Lovie Smith’s 4-3.
Lawson had only four sacks last season, but that would have been good enough to tie for second on the Texans. He’s also strong against the run, and the Texans had the league’s worst run defense in 2020.
Caserio acquired from New England veteran right offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, who opted out in 2020 because of COVID-19. Cannon, 33, can be a swing tackle. He didn’t cost the Texans a draft choice. Caserio agreed to swap low picks with the Patriots.
On Monday, Caserio must have had a phone cemented to his ear. The Texans improved their depth and special teams by agreeing to one- and two-year deals with return specialist Andre Roberts, guard Justin McCray, wide receiver Chris Moore, linebackers Kevin Pierre-Louis, Joe Thomas and Kamu Grugier-Hill, safety Terrence Brooks, cornerback Tremon Smith and defensive tackles Maliek Collins and Vincent Taylor.
It was an unprecedented flurry of activity by the Texans on the first day of what’s called the legal tampering period. Caserio was the orchestrator — a role he’ll continue to play while the team undergoes a metamorphosis and attempts to return to relevancy.