SWEETENING THE POT
With the latest addition of the vastly talented ‘Honey Badger,’ Gaine making quick gains in the free-agent market to improve the team
The day after the Texans signed former Arizona safety Tyrann Mathieu, general manager Brian Gaine and coach Bill O’Brien didn’t try to conceal their excitement.
As soon as the Cardinals released Mathieu last week because he refused to accept a pay cut, Gaine began his pursuit of the “Honey Badger,” signing him to a one-year contract late Friday night.
“It’s a position of need for us, and signing Tyrann improves our secondary,” Gaine said Saturday. “I feel very positive about this acquisition.
“Tyrann provides us with more versatility. He can play free safety or strong safety. He can nickel, in the box or play deep. We want to acquire versatility in our secondary and offensive line, and I think we’re doing that.”
Mathieu, who turns 26 in May, started 16 games in 2017 for the first time in his career. When the Cardinals asked him to reduce his salary from $11 million to $8 million, he refused.
Mathieu’s one-year contract with the Texans that can max out at $7 million. He gets a signing bonus of $4.5 million and a base salary of $2 million. He can earn a maximum of $500,000 in pergame roster bonuses for a total of $7 million.
Last season, the Texans used five players at safety, including three starters. Andre Hal had 16 starts at free safety. Marcus Gilchrist made 13 starts at strong safety and Corey Moore three.
Hal and Moore return. Barring injury, Mathieu will replace one of them.
Mathieu (5-9, 186) overcame drug addiction at LSU, where he was kicked out of school for testing positive for marijuana multiple times.
At Arizona, he overcame two torn ACLs and a shoulder injury that ended three of his seasons prematurely.
Before his second knee surgery in 2015, he started 14 games and was voted to the Pro Bowl as well as first-team All-Pro. He was a candidate for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award that J.J. Watt won.
In August of 2016, the Cardinals signed him to a five-year contract worth $62.5 million, including $21.25 million guaranteed. He played well, but his season ended after 10 games because of the shoulder injury.
In 2017, Mathieu played on 99 percent of the Cardinals’ snaps.
One of the most attractive things about Mathieu at Arizona was his leadership. He was recognized as a dynamic leader who was respected on and off the field. He also was extremely popular with fans.
After his release last week, teammates, members of the organization and media sent tweets praising him and wishing him well.
“He’s a great competitor,” O’Brien said. “When you watch him play and get to know him a little, it’s obvious how much he loves football. He loves to talk about football. He has a real passion for the game.
“That was one of the things that stood out to me.”
Mathieu is the sixth free agent to sign with the Texans, joining cornerback Aaron Colvin, cornerback Johnson Baldemosi, guard Zach Fulton, guard Senio Kelemete and offensive tackle Seantreal Henderson.
More free agents are on their way.
“We thank players for accepting our vision of what we want to accomplish,” Gaine said. “We’re confident that with the return of the pass rush, we’ll improve our coverage and help our defense get back to where it was in 2015 and 2016.”
The Texans won the AFC South in those two seasons when Romeo Crennel was defensive coordinator. That’s a role Crennel has returned to after spending last season as assistant head coach.
Crennel and new secondary coach Anthony Midget have options at defensive back with the additions of Mathieu and Colvin and the return of cornerback Johnathan Joseph, who signed a new two-year contract last week.
Like Gaine, O’Brien likes the idea of being able to use Mathieu in different ways, depending on the opponent, the game plan and down and distance.
At Arizona, Mathieu played both safety positions and cornerback. He covered slot receivers. His versatility gives the coaches options.
“That’s one of the things that attracted us,” O’Brien said.
Based on what he knows about Mathieu with the Cardinals, O’Brien believes he’ll be an easy fit with his new teammates.
“We’ve got a good locker room with some great leaders, and he’ll fit right in,” O’Brien said. “You add Tyrann to our locker room, and that’s a good group of guys in there.”
Less than a week into free agency, the Texans are shoring up weaknesses in Gaine’s first offseason as general manager. They have other needs to fill in free agency and the draft.
“We’ve done a good job of working together,” O’Brien said. “The coaches and scouts put together a plan. On the financial side, Brian and (senior vice president of administration) Chris Olsen are able to execute that plan. We’re putting a lot of work into it. There’s a lot of communication and film study.
“We feel like we’ve improved our team. We’re not trying to win March. We’re trying to put together a good team. Brian talks about it all the time — we’re trying to upgrade our roster and get better, which is 365 days a year. We’re very positive and excited about where we are right now.”