Here are ten free agents the Texans should look at

[LZ]

J.P. Losman, QB, Bills: Losman has never been one of his teammates favorite guys even dating back to Tulane, but in terms of pure athleticism, he is a pretty good fit for the Texans. Losman is young, has a good arm and has the ability to get outside of the pocket and make some things happen. With coaching from Kubiak, he could be a good fit with the play-action, bootleg system the Texans use.

Kyle Boller, QB, Ravens: Boller had a good chance of being the starter for the Ravens last year but injured his shoulder and missed all of 2008. If Boller is given a clean bill of health, he is one the Texans could consider. Boller's TD to INT ratio isn't as bad as I expected (45 TDs to 44 INTS) and he's not bad with his feet. Boller had begun to show signs of improvement over the last couple of seasons and I think he might actually blossom into a solid backup QB who can help you win games from time to time if called upon.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Bengals: Fitzpatrick finished the last eight games of the year with a 4-4 record and 6 TDs with 4 INTs. He's a much better scrambler than I expected but he never really looked down the field much which could hurt his chances with the Texans. Fitzpatrick had a 59% completion percentage, but he also relied on too many check-downs and short passes. Still, he's young and should be fairly inexpensive.

Rueben Droughns, RB, Giants: Droughns played for Gary Kubiak in Denver and he is familiar with the one-cut system. Droughns had 6 TDs this year and has shown an ability to run for tough yardage around the endzone. He's a pretty good pass catcher out of the backfield and he can play on special teams as well. He would be a good fit in Houston.

Correll Buckhalter, RB, Eagles: Buckhalter has proven to be a tough runner and a guy who can step in and do the job with additional carries if need be since Brian Westbrook was always questionable. However, Buckhalter does have an extensive history of knee injuries and he's not a guy who can break many big plays. Still, his toughness and the fact that he has come from a winning team makes him one to watch.

Robert Royal, TE, Bills: Royal was a cap casualty in Buffalo, but he's a solid run-blocking tight end who has the athletic ability to play for Alex Gibbs in this system. With Mark Bruener gone, the Texans could use a third TE on the roster and Royal has the game experience and talent to fit in as a 2nd TE in their two tight end sets.

Tank Johnson, DT, Cowboys: If the Texans were ever going to take a chance on a potential "red flag" character guy, Johnson would be that guy. He's a yapper and a guy who can be annoying in the locker room, but he's not as troubled off the field as many have expected since he was cut by the Bears. The Texans would need to keep a close eye on him and get him with the right veterans, but his ability to get up the field and collapse the pocket would be a huge help for Amobe Okoye and the pass rush in general.

Antonio Smith, DE, Arizona: Frank Bush knows Smith a little bit from his time with the Cardinals and I'm sure he realizes that Smith is average as a pass rusher when he's at defensive end, but a handful when he is bumped down inside to defensive tackle on third downs. Smith has pretty good size, but he's not as good against the run as you would expect for a player his size. Still, he has a nice set of spin moves that can be very tough for guards to handle and he would be an upgrade in terms of athleticism on the defensive line.

Andre Frazier, OLB/DE, Steelers: This one is going to be off the radar, but I think he's worth a look. Frazier is a good special teams player and a guy who has some ability as a pass rusher although he's never really had much of a chance with the Steelers. While Frazier is better suited to play OLB in a 3-4, he could be had for a cheap and the Texans might be able to utilize him as a pass rushing specialist with some edge speed.

Tyjuan Hagler, OLB, Colts: Hagler plays with loads of energy and is a solid backup LB who has proven that he can hold his own if called on to start. While he's smaller than you would like, he does play with good speed and would help to improve the speed of the Texans LB corps while also providing a good effort on special teams.

[nero THE zero]

I've been beating the Losman drum for a while now.

I thought he was a pretty big punk coming out of school several years back; you could tell he was really arrogant. But, he has the skill set that fits our system. I think he would be a good back-up for Schaub.

I also like the idea of Tank Johnson. He kind of got a bad rap and has a world of talent. He would be a good fit and could replace Travis Johnson (if they're looking for that.)

[TheRealJoker]

Not a huge fan of Just Punt Losman. I think he's a David Carr clone (all the athleticism you'd like in a QB but just not an intelligent football player).

[DiehardChris]

Rueben Droughns, RB, Giants: Droughns played for Gary Kubiak in Denver and he is familiar with the one-cut system. Droughns had 6 TDs this year and has shown an ability to run for tough yardage around the endzone. He's a pretty good pass catcher out of the backfield and he can play on special teams as well. He would be a good fit in Houston.

Reuben Droughns didn't even get a single carry in twelve games played last year, much less 6 TDs, heh. You must be looking at 2007?

If he comes just as a goal line guy, fine - but hopefully he wouldn't be the compliment to Slaton.

Great to have you around, LZ. Especially in the offseason!

[Brando]

I would love to have Buckhalter on the Texans. Losman wouldn't be so bad as a back up and might do good under the tutelage of Kubiak.

So who is going to stay up late tonight to watch the beginning of a new football season?

[ObsiWan]

Originally Posted by nero THE zero

I've been beating the Losman drum for a while now.

I thought he was a pretty big punk coming out of school several years back; you could tell he was really arrogant. But, he has the skill set that fits our system. I think he would be a good back-up for Schaub.

I also like the idea of Tank Johnson. He kind of got a bad rap and has a world of talent. He would be a good fit and could replace Travis Johnson (if they're looking for that.)

I think Tank is worth a shot.
...damn, twin TJs on the D-line?

Losman is most likely looking for a shot to start somewhere. I doubt he'll get that here. Besides, Joker's right; he reminds me too much of HWWNBN.

[DiehardChris]

LZ,

As an alternative to Droughns - what about Michael Pittman? He's older than the freaking dirt on Mars but he had a lot of success early last year as - ahem - DENVER's short-yardage back. He was an ultimate fantasy vulture.

Again - I mention him ONLY as a short-yardage guy, not as Stevie Wonder's compliment.

[Mailman]

Originally Posted by ObsiWan

I think Tank is worth a shot.
...damn, twin TJs on the D-line?

Losman is most likely looking for a shot to start somewhere. I doubt he'll get that here.

Depends what happens with Big Fat Al.

[PapaL]

Count me into the anti Losman camp. Not accurate, mobile, not too smart.

Hey maybe he can wear #8.


I'd rather go with Fitzpatrick. Can't beat'em? Sign'em.

[PapaL]

*Double Post*

[Big Poundcake]

I think Loseman would be a good fit.

Tank might be worth a shot.


I like Antonio Smith as well.

[The Pencil Neck]

Out of that list, I'd like:

Ryan Fitzpatrick -- I think Kubes could really coach this guy up.

Tank Johnson -- His "character" issue had to do with him illegally carrying guns or something, right? Or do I have him mixed up with someone else? If so... How is that a character issue in Texas? This guy would seriously upgrade our DL.

Antonio Smith -- He's an upgrade over Weaver. If he can play the way he ended last season, he's a SERIOUS upgrade to our DE spot.

[LZ]

Originally Posted by DiehardChris

LZ,

As an alternative to Droughns - what about Michael Pittman? He's older than the freaking dirt on Mars but he had a lot of success early last year as - ahem - DENVER's short-yardage back. He was an ultimate fantasy vulture.

Again - I mention him ONLY as a short-yardage guy, not as Stevie Wonder's compliment.

He would be a great compliment, but he has way too much dirty laundry in his background for the Texans to touch.

[Brandon420tx]

I'm surprised a safety like Jermaine Phillips or Sean Jones didn't make the list. I guess you were trying to go with names no ones talked about yet though.

A no-name I'm actually interested in is Shaun Cody, I think he can play the NT spot in the type of D-line Kollar would want to run. He's got size and quickness, although he was a bit of a failure with the lions, but then again, besides Calvin Johnson, who isn't?

[b0ng]

Originally Posted by PapaL

I'd rather go with Fitzpatrick. Can't beat'em? Sign'em.

We beat Fitzpatrick this year.

I always thought Losman was a very non-intelligent quarterback, I imagine Kubiak might go with somebody really young and coachable.

Dan Orlovsky.

[ObsiWan]

Originally Posted by The Pencil Neck

Out of that list, I'd like:

Ryan Fitzpatrick -- I think Kubes could really coach this guy up.

Tank Johnson -- His "character" issue had to do with him illegally carrying guns or something, right? Or do I have him mixed up with someone else? If so... How is that a character issue in Texas? This guy would seriously upgrade our DL.

Antonio Smith -- He's an upgrade over Weaver. If he can play the way he ended last season, he's a SERIOUS upgrade to our DE spot.

IIRC, that's exactly right. It started with him getting busted for having a handgun in his trunk at a nightclub and getting put on probation because of that. His bodyguard got busted for marijuana possession while in Tank's home. While the cops were busting the bodyguard, they found Tank's arsenal in the house. Tank did county time for that. Of course, that put him on Roger Goodell's badboy list. The last straw with the Bears was when he got a ticket for going 40 in a 25 zone. The cops who busted him claimed he was "impaired in the slightest degree" (I remember that phrase). The Bears immediately cut him. A week or two later the results of the blood test confirmed the alcohol content of his blood was well within the legal limit. But he was unemployed by then.

[Honoring Earl 34]

Hmmm .... Boller , Losman , or Fitzpatrick .

Talent vs brains ... I'm leaning Losman or Fitz .

I guess to keep the peace , I'm thinking Fitzpatrick because he'll be a Kubiak clone from the old Bronco days .

[ObsiWan]

Originally Posted by Brandon420tx

I'm surprised a safety like Jermaine Phillips or Sean Jones didn't make the list. I guess you were trying to go with names no ones talked about yet though.

A no-name I'm actually interested in is Shaun Cody, I think he can play the NT spot in the type of D-line Kollar would want to run. He's got size and quickness, although he was a bit of a failure with the lions, but then again, besides Calvin Johnson, who isn't?

So was I. Maybe the signing of Eugene Wilson says we ain't shopping for safeties... ...again.

[Norg]

2 bad david carr was not staying with the giants he could of been a good Backup to matt and might have even one some games for us if matt goes down agian


plus he knows the system LOL

[mexican_texan]

I'm pretty sure I know the system better than Carr. I actually found out you can actually throw the ball down the middle, and not just five yard passes!