Who do you go after in FA and Why?!

[pittbull]

If you had your choice, which the Texans will be in pretty good cap shape, Who would you go after? We know a few things already.....1) Assumed the Texans will switch to a 4-3 defensive scheme. 2) We assume the offense will look to be more explosive. 3) We assume that the o-line is a priority. We assume that unless the Texans trade down to the middle of the first round, big bucks will be placed out there for their top draft picks. What do you do Texan Nation!!!

[jmerog]

Bentley and Lewis

[YoungTexanFan]

Charles Rogers, Nate Clemete, Bently, Nalen, Peterson

[Dunta_23]

Bentley- for obvious reasons
Antonio Bryant- only if Bradford, Gaffney and Armstrong leave
Chris Hope- Will immediatly help secondary
Kyle Van Den Bosch- Solid DE, from the division...will probably have to overspend
MLB- not really familiar with what is out there.

[TexanBacker93]

1) Chris Hope - They need a free safety and he's one of the better ones. Pitt might lock him up, but he'd be a great young addition to the defensive backfield.

2) John Abraham - Assuming the Jets don't find a way to keep him or don't trade him to the Texans as part of a package for the 1st pick. He's a need to get a pass rushing DE. If they can partner him up with Mario Williams it could be nasty.

3) LeCharles Bentley - I think they need to upgrade the offensive line. Well, that's like saying ice cream is pretty good. He'll take a lot of money to come here, but he would be a great improvement and matched with a couple of rookies like Eric Winston and Nick Mangold could really make this one of the better lines in the league.

[Joe Texan]

Can Charlie Casserly for regurgitation of the fact we will be inactive in the FA market, or maybe he is a puppet

[Scooter]

lecharles bentley. probably a bit pricey, but i think he'd single handedly allow us to cut both mckinney & weigert (which would save a ton of money). along with the obvious being a probowl offensive lineman & pretty young, i think as a finesse blocker he'd fit pretty well into kubiak's scheme.

aaron kampman. should be a relatively cheap free agent defensive end and someone who would start right away, lessening the burdon of filling holes entirely through the draft. not exactly a superstar, but a strong upgrade over anyone on the current roster.

ike taylor (RFA). if not tendered, would compliment dunta and solidify our sencondary quite a bit, and would push p-burnt into the nickel slot. also, like kampman, he'd fill a hole that we wouldnt have to draft immediately towards. a lot of positives on this guy ... his size (6'1"), athleticism, and attitude (going from 4th round project to superbowl starter), along with being a solid tackler would fit well here IMO. pitt's likely to tender him however so that'd knock him off my list as we'd have to give up picks.

after that there arent really many others i'd even consider since i'd rather us focus more on building through the draft. van den bosch i'd probably look at if kampman fell through though.

[TexanBacker93]

What I'd really like to see them get are a few key guys that haven't had the opportunity and won't break the bank. That's how to build a winning team. The Texans seem to pay more to get lesser talent. I think it's supposed to be the other way around.

Still, the players I listed earlier are the ones I would like to see based on getting the best available.

[Samer]

Kevin Curtis from St. Louis - Potential to be a great WR, didnt have much opportunity playing being Holt and Bruce so much.

Bentley for obvious reasons


Chris Hope to improve the secondary

[LBblitz]

Is it possible to trade with the jets for abraham, draft hawk, and sign bentley?...that sure would fill alot of holes...

I've been stuck between this scenario and getting bush and making a run at bentley/lepsis. As what scooter said Kampman would be a good addition...i wish i would have thought of that one.

[The Dude Abides]

I like Chris Hope from Pittsburgh. I think it's time for us to show Coleman the door.

Bentley. Our line needs the most help and since Hutchinson from Seattle is likely to be franchised, he will be our best option.

Joe Jurevicius - I just like how he plays and it seems he always holds on to the ball.

Julian Peterson - He was a freak before the achilles injury. If he can play back up to form 2 years removed from a major injury, he could be a huge addition.

[Runner]

Originally Posted by LBblitz

Is it possible to trade with the jets for abraham, draft hawk, and sign bentley?...that sure would fill alot of holes...

That would be pretty solid. However, I've been wondering - does anyone know how Bentley would fit in the zone blocking system?

[jacquescas]

Bently and Rogers, i think rogers will flourish where ever he lands as long as he is a number 2.

[Maddict5]

Originally Posted by The Dude Abides

Julian Peterson - He was a freak before the achilles injury. If he can play back up to form 2 years removed from a major injury, he could be a huge addition.

or he could be an expensive bust- realistically i think the best we can hope for is chris hope- bentley would be a quality addition but may be even franchised yet and if not alot of teams better than us will want him

[TreWardTxn]

Let me throw out a few factors that haven't quite been considered yet with respect to free agency.

I don't see the point in paying (sizeable) FA money to Hope or Taylor, when it is obvious that they are no more than utility guys for the Pittsburgh defense. The strength of that defense is the linebackers and Polamalu in the secondary. All the Steelers ask Hope and Taylor to do is not get beat deep and up until the tail-end of this year, they hadn't quite figured that out yet. They are solid in run support, but its not as if they will make an impact on the Texans defense without an improved pass rush. Bottom line, there is no point in sinking FA money into former 3rd and 4th round players that will easily be replaced by team they are leaving; anybody remember Dexter Jackson from TB a few years ago?

I am not too certain about Bentley in a zone blocking scheme. While athletic for his size and a major upgrade, I don't believe he would be the ideal fit at C for the new offense and not cost-effective...

If the Texans can get Abraham in FA, meaning no trades or picks, they should go for him

Don't think the 'Niners will let Peterson go...

Witherspoon would be excellent; speed and intensity
And because I dislike Buchannon's game so much, Nate Clements, who while suspect in zone coverage, will at least hit somebody when they come through the line...

[keyfro]

first and foremost...if seattle does not tag steve hutchinson with the franchise tag then he has to be the number one guy we go after

i believe indy is going to slap wayne with the franchise tag so forget him but you have antwaan randle el, antonio bryant, david givens, joe jurevicius, keenan mccardell(houston native), koren robinson, peerless price, and rod gardner who would all make great number 2 recievers...i mention mccardell because he is a houston native at the end of his career which would allow mathis time to develop

of course lecharles bently's name is mentioned frequently on this MB and for good reason...he is a supurb center who would do wonders for us

we also need more quality back up offensive tackles...kevin barry is a guy who is fimiliar with mike sherman and might come cheap...to me he is a slight improvement over seth wand who i see us keeping

chris hope has been mentioned frequently as well but let me give ya'll some other safties that would help us a good deal...corey chavous, dexter jackson, idrees bashir, lance schulters, tank williams, and sam brandon(i think he just re-signed with denver i think)

our main need will be defensive ends and linebacker...i think we need to sign a strong side DE before the draft and some names would be...aaron kampman(would be cheap), anthony weaver, carlos hall, darren howard, kalimba edwards, kyle vanden bosch, and possibly john abraham if not tagged

linebackers who deserve a good look would be...akin ayodele, david thornton(keep in mind signing one of the first two guys would also weaken our divisional rivals), earl holmes, julian peterson, keith adams, kevin bentley, nate wayne, rocky calmus, will witherspoon(might be the best fa LB), and warrick holdman

the guys whose names in bold are the guys i personally would go after

[big homey]

I think we should use FA to cut down on some of our draft needs. We don't want to go into the draft with too many needs because that could force reaching and we'd lose a lot of trade leverage.

Chris Hope, FS - An underrated safety who was overshadowed by the long hair of his counterpart. He actually had more picks than Polamalu. I know Polamalu had more of an impact, but Hope would be a great addition to our secondary.

LeCharles Bentley, C/OG - Like everyone knows, we need offensive line help in the worst way. Bentley would be expensive to lure away from Cleveland, but signing him would let us get rid of McKinney and/or Wiegert to save cap money, or at least provide leverage to force restructuring.

Nate Clements, CB - If we sign Bentley, this guy is out of the picture, but if not, he's a good option for a big FA. Buchanon can't be trusted to start at corner if we can help it. We need someone reliable opposite Dunta to force QB's to throw at him.

Aaron Kampman, DE - A solid, servicable DE to fill out a new 4-3 scheme.

John Abraham, DE - We should pursue Bentley first, but if don't get him and this guy is still around, he'll provide an elite pass rusher for our 4-3.

Hopefully we get Bentley (starter), Hope (starter), and Kampman (depth/possible starter).

[TreWardTxn]

Originally Posted by Get A New QB

what hope is a GREAT player and anything to our offensive line specially Bently

define "great" for me. Do you define greatness as having played on a Superbowl team, cuz then you got me...

All I'm saying is rank Hope according to his importance to that defense and he will come up somewhere between Ike Taylor and the guy who runs water on the field during timeouts...

[HoustonFrog]

Will Witherspoon--Brings that tough attitude that we have needed. Just started coming on strong so he might not be as expensive. He played MLB when Morgan was hurt and plays weakside normally. Younger. He'd fill a spot that we are looking at in the draft.

Bentley--Expensive but a junk yard dog that would automatically lift the line. The may franchise him though.

[Wolf]

any news on Reggie Wayne?

or with the "Edge" gone .. I imagine that Wayne is their priority now