Trading up one spot for No. 1 pick looking unlikely
INDIANAPOLIS — In a convention hall connected to Lucas Oil Stadium, the venue in which the Texans spurned the No. 1 overall pick by beating the Colts on a Hail Mary pass and 2-point conversion in the regular-season finale, general manager Nick Caserio gave no indication he’s interested in using any of his wealth of assets to trade up for the draft slot they lost.
The dizzying denouement of the 2022 season, which resulted in the firing of former Texans coach Lovie Smith, awarded the Bears the top selection in the NFL draft. The Texans hold the No. 2 pick, and Caserio often has said Houston is seeking to add a quarterback either in the draft or free agency.
The Bears, apparently happy with Justin Fields, reportedly are open to trading down to the highest bidder. The Colts (No. 4), Raiders (No. 7) and Panthers (No. 9) are all within range of considering a jump ahead of the Texans.
“We’re not necessarily worried about what other teams around us are doing,” Caserio said Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine. “You’re cognizant of that. But ultimately, you have to be prepared to pick wherever you’re going to pick and then be prepared to pick whatever player.”
While Caserio won’t necessarily rule out the idea of trading up, the Texans appear content with their draft positioning. Even if another team were to jump them and take its pick of Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis or Florida’s Anthony Richardson, the Texans, by Caserio’s math, would have two or three other players they’d be happy selecting.
The pick could be any of the quarterbacks remaining. It also could be Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter or Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson.
Caserio has 11 picks to spend, including the No. 12 pick he secured as part of last year’s Deshaun Watson trade. Five picks are within the NFL’s top 75, and the trade-happy Caserio likely again will use his stockpile of selections to trade up for players he and his personnel department favor.
But the Texans must add another quarterback somehow. Davis Mills is the only quarterback remaining under contract, and the 2021 third-round pick’s regression in nearly every statistical category (while tying for the NFL lead with 15 interceptions) warrants an upgrade. Brooks Kubena
Cooks hasn’t changed trade request stance
Last month, Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks said he wasn’t interested in being a part of a rebuild and reiterated his desire to go to a new team.
When asked about Cooks’ request at the combine Tuesday and whether the Texans have had discussions with other teams about a trade, Caserio kept it brief.
“I have a great relationship with Brandin and his representation, and we always have open dialogue,” the general manager said. “As we work through the course of the spring, we’ll try to do what’s best for the organization.”
Cooks, who signed an extension with Houston last offseason, initially asked Caserio to be dealt before the NFL’s Nov. 1 trade deadline after the Texans struggled through the first few weeks of 2022.
The 5-10, 180-pound target had been the Texans’ best weapon since coming to Houston in 2020. He had more than 2,000 yards receiving in his first two seasons with the team. But in 2022, the Texans became a run-first team and struggled to find ways to get Cooks the ball.
Cooks, who is owed $18 million in guaranteed money next season, finished the 2022 campaign with 57 catches for 699 yards and three touchdowns, all three-year lows. It was only the third time in his nine-year career that he did not have 1,000 yards receiving.
During his exit interview last month, Cooks reiterated his desire to go somewhere he could compete for a championship. That likely won’t happen any time soon with the Texans.
“That window where your gifts are at their peak only lasts for so long,” Cooks said in January. “So for me, I’m not looking at it (as) being part of a rebuild.”
To facilitate a trade this offseason, the Texans likely would have to take on as much as half of his contract. He is signed through the 2024 season.
Cooks has been traded three times in his career. If here were to be traded again, he would tie Eric Dickerson’s record for the most times a player has been traded in NFL history.
Jonathan M. Alexander
Caserio won’t commit to new deal for Tunsil
Caserio declined to reveal whether he’ll offer three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil an extension, but the third-year executive said they’ve “had good conversations along the way.”
“Laremy’s been a good player in this league for a long time,” Caserio said at the NFL combine. “He’s done a lot of good things for our team. So I think each individual player when the time comes and it’s appropriate to have any conversations, we’ll go ahead and do that. A lot of respect for Laremy. We’ve had good conversations along the way. We’ll see how it goes here in the offseason. But Laremy’s expressed his sentiments about wanting to be here in Houston. We’ll see if it works itself out the way everybody would like it to.”
Tunsil, 28, is entering the final year of a three-year, $66 million extension he signed in 2020. He easily represents the rebuilding Texans’ largest cap hit for 2023 at $35.2 million, and he told ESPN in December that he intends to “reset” the offensive tackle market with his next contract.
Such a deal almost certainly would cost the Texans more than $20 million per year, and Caserio must decide how much he’s willing to allocate on an offensive tackle now that the franchise finally has cap room.
The state of the offensive tackle position for the Texans also complicates Caserio’s decision.
Tytus Howard, the team’s starting right tackle, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Caserio picked up the fifth-year option of a deal in which Howard will cost the Texans $13.2 million against the cap next season.
The Texans could give Howard the franchise tag for the 2024 season, but that decision also would be costly. He would be assigned a one-year contract value that is the average of the top five tackle salaries in the NFL. The projected franchise tag for offensive linemen in 2024 is $24.6 million, according to Over the Cap.