New GM Gaine has some decisions to make
Priorities include help for Watson, Clowney extension
Toiling away for years as a scouting lieutenant for five different NFL teams, new Texans general manager Brian Gaine has plenty of heavy lifting to do as he takes over the personnel department of a last-place AFC South franchise.
The Texans’ fall from division champions to a 4-12 finish that included six consecutive losses to end the season was punctuated by injuries to irreplaceable stars in quarterback Deshaun Watson, defensive end J.J. Watt and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus.
Gaine has a significant amount of work to do to build a roster to complement Watson, who’s recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. O-line overhaul
The Texans need to overhaul an offensive line that arguably has one blocker in promising center Nick Martin that would start for the majority of the other NFL teams. They allowed 54 sacks last season and used three quarterbacks in Watson, Tom Savage and T.J. Yates. Martin is coming off ankle surgery.
Watson is a multidimensional, dual-threat quarterback, one of the most dynamic young offensive players in the NFL. However, he needs better pass protection and reliable, durable weapons to complement Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
“When you have a quarterback in place that you believe in, that you think can help you win a lot of football games, you’ve got to start to put pieces around him and pieces in place to help him succeed on the field,” Gaine said Wednesday during his introductory news conference at NRG Stadium. “That’s not just with the perimeter players and the skill players, that’ll be with the offensive line. So, it’s certainly an area that we’re going to evaluate heavily here.”
Before he injured his knee during practice, Watson was on pace to finish the season with 43 touchdown passes. He passed for 19 touchdowns and finished the season with 21 total touchdowns. The Texans had the highest-scoring offense in the NFL when Watson was under center.
“He’s a talented young man, a talented young player, but he’s a better person,” Gaine said. “He’s certainly a foundational piece for us in terms of what we can build around, and it certainly would be an advantage for any general manager coming into a team to have a quarterback in place that you believe in, that you know that can help you win football games.”
Another major undertaking for the Texans this offseason is securing the future of Pro Bowl outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney through a potential blockbuster contract extension.
Established now as one of the most disruptive pass rushers and run-stoppers in the game, Clowney recorded a career-high 9½ sacks and 20 tackles for losses last season despite being the focal point for opponents’ blocking schemes.
Due a fifth-year team option salary of $13.846 million, the twotime Pro Bowl selection is expected to ultimately land a new deal that could make him the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
Clowney’s contract could exceed the six-year, $114.1 million contract of Denver Broncos pass rusher Von Miller. That deal includes $70 million guaranteed and an average annual salary of $19.016 million.
“It’s certainly on the horizon,” Gaine said. “Certainly a player that’s valued by the Texans organization, and in time, as we go through that process, we’ll arrive to that conclusion.” Down year for defense
The Texans regressed on defense last season under first-year defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel. After finishing first in the NFL in total defense the previous season under Romeo Crennel, the Texans finished 20th overall last season. They were particularly vulnerable against the pass, dropping from second in pass defense to 24th in the NFL as they gave up 30 touchdown passes.
A pass rush that was rendered one-dimensional with Clowney the only player consistently harassing quarterbacks with Watt and Mercilus sidelined impacted the secondary.
And the Texans have decisions to make this offseason as veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph is a pending unrestricted free agent. The Texans have to decide whether to pick up a fifth-year option for injury-prone former first-round draft pick Kevin Johnson.
“That’s another area right now where I’m deep in evaluation to see what we currently have and what we don’t have so that we can address those issues as it relates to making any decisions in free agency or the draft,” Gaine said. “We do have some free-agent decisions to make at that position and trying to mesh a blend and a vision as it relates to that acquisition process as it relates to free agency and or the draft or even both.”
The Texans don’t currently have a first-round draft pick or a second-round selection following trades last year with the Cleveland Browns to acquire Watson and unload $72 million quarterback bust Brock Osweiler. With a projected $60 million in salary-cap space, free agency will be an important way to bolster the roster.
“Whatever we have to do to upgrade the roster in any aspect of the operation, we’ll continue to do that,” Gaine said. “If free agency presents the opportunity for us to add a championship piece to the roster, we certainly will pursue that.”