I moved our Cannon discussion to the Caserio thread. Because, this is really about Nick Caserio and the decisions he made last offseason.
Things you don't know for sure, like he would have been cut. He would be hurt etc ..
That 7 mil cap hit and 6 mil cap savings for a late Rd pick swap is hardly a big old bag of nothing.
I said last year that Cannon was an 33 year old injury prone player that hadn't played in 2 years. No I didn't know for sure Cannon would be hurt. But I did point out the likelihood that he would be hurt.
What in the wide world of sports are you talking about in terms of cap savings? Had Cannon not been traded for, there would be no contract to cut. And if you remember (I know, it's been almost a year), Caserio had to renegotiate a lot of contracts (like Mercilus, Cunningham, Cooks, Tunsil, etc.) in order to acquire contracts like Cannon's. There is no net savings. The deal was bad for the cap. It was bad for building the team. And in my opinion, bad for the team culture. Let me explain:
Your argument at the time of the trade was that the pick swap was inconsequential. The Texan had pick #122 and moved down to #158. Now we know whom could have been selected and what the Texans missed out on.
Chubba Hubbard RB Carolina Panthers pick# 126 - Hubbard rushed for 612 yards and 6 TDs, playing 41% of offensive snaps. Both numbers would have led the 2021 Texans.
Marco Wilson CB Arizona Cardinals pick# 136 - Wilson started 13 games and played 87% of defensive snaps for a playoff team. At a position the Texans have no depth and little youth.
Royce Newman - OG - Green Bay Packers pick# 142 - Newman started 16 games, playing 97% of offensive snaps for the #1 seed in the NFC. At another position the Texans have little depth and will likely look to address in the offseason.
Dan Moore - LT - Pittsburgh Steelers pick# 128 - Moore started 16 games, playing 99% of offensive snaps at LT for the AFC Wild Card team. I shouldn't have to go over the revolving door the Texans endured at LT this season.
So yes, the pick swap had consequences. I'm not saying Caserio would have selected one of these players at #122. But, he could have had an opportunity. An opportunity he missed on by trading unnecessarily for a washed up lineman.
How was the trade for Cannon bad for team culture, you may ask? Because it was a blatant move to get a buddy of Jack's paid. The Texans already had a history of paying players for their relationships with the coaches and administration, rather than performance. Whitney Mercilus was a prime example. One of the first moves Caserio makes is to trade for a buddy of his and Easterby? What does that look like to a rebuilding team? It's who you know, not what you do that gets you paid. Had Cannon been brought in on a lesser salary after the Patriots cut him, it would have been a different story. Cannon would likely have been cut in camp, not being to get on the field.
I don't just bang Caserio for bad moves. When he does well, I applaud him. I thought he did a solid job with the picks he had. He should have had more. His signing of Thomas as a street free agent was outstanding. Keep that up. Sign young guys that have a future. My main problem is with fans (like yourself). Don't try to tell me that Caserio's mistake don't count. They count. When the emperor is not wearing clothes, I will say so and won't be convinced otherwise. Caserio has pissed away picks on player who can't play and mismanaged the cap signing mediocre talent. He made a ludicrous selection as head coach, and a year later is back at the plate. He has several more years on his contract, so he will get plenty of more chances. I hope Nick gets a lot of them right. And when he does, I will acknowledge that. And when Caserio screws up, I'll acknowledge those, too.