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Texans random thought of the day

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I'm surprised to not see Duane Brown on this list. Instead they mention us needing a TE.

A Dozen NFL Trade Targets to Watch [Insider]
http://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/sto...ates-including-return-package-likelihood-deal

Conventional and advanced statistics disagree over many things. The badness of the New England Patriots' defense through four games is not one of them. It's a defense that ranks 317th out of 320 units over the past 10 seasons in both yards allowed (conventional) and expected points added (advanced) during the first four games of a season. There is little need for elaboration if you've watched New England give up 32 points per game so far.

"They are known for trades," a personnel director said Sunday night, "but I don't know what rabbit they can pull out at this point."

There are probably no miracle cures for the Patriots' defense or other struggling units around the league, but with less than a month remaining 'til the trading deadline on Halloween, we already can see players who could be more available than others, including a few who might interest Bill Belichick.

With input from a range of league insiders, I've put together a list of players who could be available at various price points:

Adrian Peterson, RB, New Orleans Saints

The 32-year-old Peterson has yet to carry more than nine times in a game this season. He's accustomed to being The Guy, but he's no longer perceived as good enough for a team to build its offense around him at the expense of his limitations in the passing game. That's why execs thought Peterson had almost no trade value at age 32.

"Peterson had no market in March and hasn't shown he's worth much now," an insider said. "I don't know who would want him now."

Malcolm Butler, CB, New England Patriots

A defense playing as poorly as the Patriots' is playing wouldn't seem to be in position to subtract talent, but New England almost always keeps its long-term strategic interests in mind. After seeking a first-round pick for Butler in the offseason, the Patriots almost surely would have to settle for much less now.

"You would have to make the trade and also have the agreement in place for the extension," an exec said. "It will be tough. They got a four that can go to a three for Jamie Collins, and this is the same thing."

Asked about another corner, insiders questioned whether teams would want to take on Trumaine Johnson's franchise-tag deal with the Rams, which guarantees him $16.7 million in salary.

Jarvis Landry, WR, Miami Dolphins

There were reports in August that the Dolphins were shopping Landry after failing to reach a contract extension with him heading into the final year of the receiver's rookie deal. An exec confirmed that report, saying the Dolphins offered the receiver for a veteran cornerback. This exec thought a second-round pick could be the value -- a price he would not pay. What if the Dolphins sought only a third-rounder?

"That is interesting," the exec said. "That is a good conversation. I would have it."

Letting Landry leave as a free agent in March 2018 could return a high compensatory choice to the Dolphins in 2019. Or, the Dolphins could try to get a pick in 2018. Landry was linked to a domestic-violence investigation that could lead to NFL discipline, even though Florida authorities said they will not bring charges.

"Miami is probably thinking they need Landry to help turn around their season," an insider said.

Jeremy Hill, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are known for standing pat historically, but they did trade linebacker Marquis Flowers to the Patriots in August. The deal was for only a seventh-round choice. Insiders thought the Bengals could get a fifth-round pick for Hill, give or take a round.

"If the Giants are in desperation [mode], they could do anything and he could be a good addition," one of the insiders said.

Hill is 24 years old and has started all four games this season, but rookie second-round choice Joe Mixon has a 35-13 edge in carries over the past two games. Hill's production has flagged since his 1,124-yard rookie season, but he's still young and could still project as a lead back for a team like the Giants, Vikings or Lions that could potentially use a 6-foot-1, 230-pound presence in the backfield.

"He is a legit player not getting a lot of snaps," one evaluator said. "Cincy should take at least a fifth and maybe even higher. [Gio] Bernard came off an ACL last year, they started him off slow and now he is their third-down back, and they are weeding out Hill naturally."

Jeremy Hill is still pretty young, and would provide an upgrade to teams that could use a 6-foot-1, 230-pound presence in the backfield. Patrick Smith/Getty Images

T.J. Yeldon, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars drafted Leonard Fournette fourth overall and have been giving reps to Chris Ivory while Yeldon has been inactive. Jacksonville has talked up Yeldon of late, which could be genuine -- or an attempt to pump up trade value.

The 2015 second-round choice has rushed for 1,205 yards and three touchdowns with a 3.9-yard average in 27 games. An exec thought Yeldon could be worth between a fourth- and sixth-round pick.

Nate Orchard, DE, Cleveland Browns

A 2015 second-round pick, Orchard predates the Browns' current leadership, which has used high picks for defensive ends Myles Garrett, Emmanuel Ogbah and Carl Nassib in the past two drafts. An exec thought the Browns might take a fifth-round choice for Orchard, but with Garrett banged up, Orchard might be less expendable.

Adolphus Washington, DT, Buffalo Bills

An exec said Washington was available during camp for a fifth-round choice, as the Bills plotted their future under new coaching and personnel staffs. A 2016 third-round choice, Washington was suspended for his final college game at Ohio State and then was acquitted of a weapons charge while with the Bills this past summer.

"I just think with [Bills defensive tackle] Kyle Williams being so old, it could be hard to trade him," an insider said. "Plus, they have a good thing going right now."

On the other hand, the Bills have not been shy about using trades to reshape their roster, having sent Sammy Watkins to the Rams and Ronald Darby to the Eagles before the season.

Kenny Vaccaro, S, New Orleans Saints

An exec said the Saints have asked for a seventh that converts to a sixth in shopping Vaccaro. New Orleans would have to eat some of what remains on a contract featuring a $5.7 million salary for 2017, another exec said.

"This would be maybe a fourth-rounder if he were not on the final year of his deal, and a sixth-rounder because he is in the final year," another insider said. "Vaccaro is making too much money with too little production to get traded now. The Saints would have to eat salary."

Brandon Marshall, WR, New York Giants

Less than two months after signing Marshall, the Giants used their first-round pick for receiving tight end Evan Engram, who runs routes that might typically go to Marshall. If Marshall were available, the price would probably be as low as a seventh-rounder, according to multiple execs who didn't seem excited by the prospect.

Things haven't gone too well for Brandon Marshall as a member of the Giants. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Lynch, DE, San Francisco 49ers

Lynch has played under four head coaches in four NFL seasons since the 49ers made him a fifth-round selection in 2014. He had 12.5 sacks in his first two seasons, and has 2.5 in 10 games since then. He's in the final year of his rookie contract and could help a team that feels it might need to bolster its pass rush to contend. New England?

"The Patriots need to just get their players to play better," said an exec who cautioned that September had become the new preseason in an age of limited summer practices. "They are not bad up front. They just don't have an elite, dominant rusher. That is what is hurting them."

Lynch hasn't fully shaken concerns over his effort and dedication that followed him from college into the NFL. One insider said he could be worth a sixth-rounder.

"I just can't see [New England] going after an Aaron Lynch on character," another insider said. "Maybe Orchard or an Eli Harold [of the 49ers]. They could also try to sign someone like Lamarr Houston or Dwight Freeney."

Doug Martin, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Consensus holds that the Bucs need Martin more than they need to unload him following a three-game suspension to start the season.

"Tampa should be looking to pay-cut Martin more so than trade him," an exec said. "He is not a bad kid. I just don't think they could find someone to take the contract."

Dwayne Allen, TE, New England Patriots


The Patriots picked up Allen from the Colts this offseason and haven't gotten anything from him, but their needs could change depending on Rob Gronkowski's health.


"The Texans have injuries at tight end," an evaluator said, "but Allen would just be [worth] a seventh-rounder."
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In yesterdays Titans game, who had more tackles, DeAndre Hopkins or JJ Watt? The correct answer is Hopkins. JJ Watt did not record a tackle yesterday, but did have 1 PD and 2 QB hits. Hopkins had a tackle on the interception toward the end of the first half.
 
Playing around with the stats on the NFL site, and I find that three out of the top ten scoring teams in the NFL right now are in the AFC south, Texans, Titans and Jags. I expected the Texans would be jumping up the list on just the points alone (considering our last two game), and right now we're 3rd in the NFL in total scoring.

It's just four games with a lot left to play, but seeing three teams from the AFC south in the top 10 scoring was a tad surprising considering the divisions history.
 
Thorn said:
Playing around with the stats on the NFL site, and I find that three out of the top ten scoring teams in the NFL right now are in the AFC south, Texans, Titans and Jags. I expected the Texans would be jumping up the list on just the points alone (considering our last two game), and right now we're 3rd in the NFL in total scoring.

It's just four games with a lot left to play, but seeing three teams from the AFC south in the top 10 scoring was a tad surprising considering the divisions history.
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If you remove that first game as an anomoly and just look at the DW4 starts, we're averaging 34 points per game.

I don't even know how to process that information. It conflicts with my world-view too much.
 
Thorn said:
Just watched Inside the NFL, and all three guys picked the Texans to win. I'm not sure if that's a good sign or not. LOL
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Wow, I just peeked at the betting lines and Vegas still has the Chiefs -1.5. I guess everyone else thinks the Texans can somehow pull this off too, this is usually a bad sign. That said, these last couple games don't look like the same 'ol Texans.
 
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The Texans have claimed LB Ben Heeney off of waivers from the Saints on Wednesday, according to Adam Caplan.

Houston will need to make a corresponding roster move to clear a roster spot for Heeney.

Heeney, 25, is a former fifth-round pick of the Raiders back in 2015. He was in the second year of his four-year, $2,773,724 contract and set to make a base salary of $615,000 when the Raiders elected to cut him loose coming out of the preseason.

The Saints signed him to their practice squad last week before calling up for Week 4’s game.

In 2016, Heeny appeared in four games for the Raiders and recorded 15 tackles and no sacks or interceptions.
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http://nfltraderumors.co/texans-claim-lb-ben-heeney-off-waivers-saints/

Bye Cushing?
 
I'm wondering if facing the tAcks last week will help the Texans this week. Both the tAcks and the Chiefs use a lot of motion and misdirection on offense. KC just has a lot more speed whereas the tAcks play a smashmouth, heavy running scheme.
What do y'all think?
 
DocBar said:
I'm wondering if facing the tAcks last week will help the Texans this week. Both the tAcks and the Chiefs use a lot of motion and misdirection on offense. KC just has a lot more speed whereas the tAcks play a smashmouth, heavy running scheme.
What do y'all think?
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I'd be plenty worried about Kareem Hunt creating a one-man destruction derby.........something that our D didn't have to contend with against the Titans...........something that quickly opens the door to Smith and his newly found aerial attack. Despite all that has been written about our stout run D, they have not faced a running game anywhere close to what we are about to see.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
I'd be plenty worried about Kareem Hunt creating a one-man destruction derby.........something that our D didn't have to contend with against the Titans...........something that quickly opens the door to Smith and his newly found aerial attack. Despite all that has been written about our stout run D, they have not faced a running game anywhere close to what we are about to see.
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That's where I'm hoping playing the tAcks might help. The Texans did a pretty good job of staying home and setting the edge in the running game, 2 TDs by Mariota not withstanding. Smith is definitely mobile, but he's no Mariota.
I'd do everything I could to shut Hunt down and make Smith beat me with his arm. He is capable of it, but I still want to make them as one dimensional as possible.
 
Didn't notice this week's power ranking until now. We beat weeks 4's fifth rank team decisively. They dropped to #16, we rise from 23 to 13.

This week, we play the #1 team. It would be nice if Jj & his friends show out on defense & make a statement of their own.

As it stands now, nine of our remaining games are against teams ranked lower than we are.
 
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CloakNNNdagger said:
I'd be plenty worried about Kareem Hunt creating a one-man destruction derby.........something that our D didn't have to contend with against the Titans...........something that quickly opens the door to Smith and his newly found aerial attack. Despite all that has been written about our stout run D, they have not faced a running game anywhere close to what we are about to see.
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I'm hoping that the Chiefs losing 2 starting OL will help slow down Hunt a little.
 
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Random thought? I don't count on JJ or JDC to contribute much of anything. Mercilus? Different story.
 
Texan GM Rick Smith choose not to resign John Simon, who Colts scooped up for three years 13.5 million. Would have been a nice plug and play option in such a situation as losing Mercilus rest of season :foottap:
 
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I would've said, play the rest of the season for what it's worth, while giving both Watson and Foreman valuable field time together. The only hole in that draft positioning thought process....RS gave away the Texans RD1 and RD2 picks in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Now, in all appearances Cleveland is in full Astros mode and gleefully seems to be tanking yet another season. The Browns FO is giving pats on the back to anyone who will stand still long enough after the Texans suffer two major injuries on the defensive side of the ball last week. If it all falls their way, they could be looking at 2 picks inside the top 10 picks in both rounds...potentially giving them 4 of the top 42 players in the draft.

At this point, we, as Texans fans can only hope that RS can turnaround his RD's 4-7 fortunes and nail his multiple picks in RD3. To make the 2018 draft successful, he's going to need strong scouting help to find the answers this team will need moving forward.
 
OptimisticTexan said:
To make the 2018 draft successful, he's going to need strong scouting help to find the answers this team will need moving forward.
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Like you said, we still have to play out this season before we know how bad a shape we're in going into the draft. Then there's FA as well.

Still, if DW4 continues to play like he is, 2018's 1st & 2nd round picks were well spent if you ask me.
 
OptimisticTexan said:
I would've said, play the rest of the season for what it's worth, while giving both Watson and Foreman valuable field time together. The only hole in that draft positioning thought process....RS gave away the Texans RD1 and RD2 picks in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Now, in all appearances Cleveland is in full Astros mode and gleefully seems to be tanking yet another season. The Browns FO is giving pats on the back to anyone who will stand still long enough after the Texans suffer two major injuries on the defensive side of the ball last week. If it all falls their way, they could be looking at 2 picks inside the top 10 picks in both rounds...potentially giving them 4 of the top 42 players in the draft.

At this point, we, as Texans fans can only hope that RS can turnaround his RD's 4-7 fortunes and nail his multiple picks in RD3. To make the 2018 draft successful, he's going to need strong scouting help to find the answers this team will need moving forward.
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Why are we worried about the 2018 draft being successful or not? Are we only 5 games into the 2017 season ?


The Browns have suck it up way longer than the Astros. Plus in the past three seasons the Astros have made the playoffs. So im not getting that comparison.
 
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