Secondary gain, but another primary focus
With free-agent cornerback Colvin added, Texans set sights on pursuing safety Mathieu
If the Texans are able to sign free-agent safety Tyrann Mathieu to go with cornerback Aaron Colvin, their secondary would be greatly improved over last season, when the defensive backs were torched way too many times.
First-year general manager Brian Gaine entered free agency with a plan to upgrade their offensive line and secondary, the team’s two biggest areas of need. Signing Mathieu would create a huge splash that would reverberate around the NFL, particularly the AFC South.
With Andrew Luck (Indianapolis), Marcus Mariota (Tennessee) and Blake Bortles ( Jacksonville) at quarterback, the Texans have to bolster their secondary or risk getting exposed again.
Signing Colvin was a good start. Although he’s not a big name because he played with A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey — the best twosome in the league — Colvin covered slot receivers for Jacksonville and hasn’t allowed a touchdown pass in his four seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.
Adding the versatile Mathieu would be a coup for Gaine and give them two new starters where they need it the most.
The Texans are one of many teams pursuing Mathieu, one of the NFL’s premier safeties who’d be a much bigger catch
than any free agents they’ve reeled in so far.
He’s available because he refused to accept a reduction in pay from Arizona and was placed on waivers Wednesday when the new league year began, signaling the start of free agency.
Mathieu, “The Honey Badger” from LSU, has multiple suitors and may end up with the largest contract of any veteran signing with a new team during this offseason. It could take some time while agent Tom Condon sorts out the contenders from the pretenders.
One of Mathieu’s strengths is he can play either safety position as well as cover receivers who line up in the slot.
Something coach Bill O’Brien likes is talent, versatility and competition.
Based on what they’ve done so far and are expected to do, the Texans should have versatility and competition in their offensive line.
They aren’t announcing their free-agent signings until the players pass their physicals Thursday, but they’ve signed three offensive linemen to go with Colvin.
Guards Zach Fulton (Kansas City) and Senio Kelemete (New Orleans) could be the starting guards replacing Xavier Su’aFilo and Jeff Allen.
Fulton has also played center. Kelemete played guard and tackle with the Saints.
Allen is under contract, but Su’a-Filo is a free agent. Signing Fulton and Kelemete makes it likely that the Texans won’t be re-signing Su’a-Filo, the first pick in the second round of the 2014 draft.
Offensive tackle Seantreal Henderson, a backup at Buffalo, signed a one-year contract and is going to compete for a starting job at right tackle with Julién Davenport.
The Texans are still in pursuit of a left tackle in free agency as well as in the draft.
One player the Texans had their sights on was left tackle Nate Solder. They elected to drop out of the competition, and Solder signed with the New York Giants. Because they have so many needs — and it’s not just a one-year proposition — they prefer to spread around their money.
Solder is getting an average of $15.5 million per year, highest for an offensive lineman in the NFL. The Texans declined to direct such a large portion of their cap dollars to one player.
Only time will tell if that turns out to be a mistake.
The Texans have other needs, of course. If they don’t get Mathieu, they still need to sign a safety.
Headed by Mathieu, there’s a deep pool at that position, including Morgan Burnett, Eric Reid, Tre Boston, Tyvon Branch and Kenny Vaccaro. None will command the kind of money that Mathieu will get.
The Texans also need to sign a quarterback. There’s no shortage of backups. They need a reliable veteran who knows his role — mentoring Deshaun Watson and having experience coming off the bench in case of an injury.
With the first day of free agency out of the way, expect Gaine to continue to be active in the coming days as he works to retool a roster that produced a 4-12 record last season.