By CARLTON THOMPSON
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
The Texans made their boldest gesture of the offseason today, entertaining Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace as part of their efforts to work out a trade to acquire him from the St. Louis Rams.
In addition, Jay Foreman was granted his release - not to mention his wish - during a meeting with Texans coach Dom Capers early Monday morning. Strong safety Eric Brown also was cut during the course of a busy day at Reliant Park.
``We are in discussions with the Rams,'' Texans vice president of communications Tony Wyllie said. ``Orlando and his agent are visiting Houston, but we won't have an announcement until the appropriate time.``
Pace, 29, is designated as the Rams' franchise player for the third consecutive year, but the two sides have been unable to work out a long-term agreement, which opened the possibility for a trade.
If the Rams can't strike a long-term agreement with Pace by Wednesday, they lose the right to place the franchise tag on a player next season. At the very least, the Texans will have to part with a first-round pick and probably a player currently on their roster to acquire Pace.
The Texans have been trying to solidify the left tackle position since their inception. They acquired five-time Pro Bowler Tony Boselli in the expansion draft, but he couldn't recover from multiple shoulder operations and never played a down for the team before retiring before the 2003 season.
Chester Pitts started every game at left tackle in 2002 and 2003, but was moved to left guard last season to make room in the starting lineup at left tackle for Seth Wand, a raw talent with some upside. The Texans allowed 49 sacks last season, fewer than just six teams in the league.
Foreman and fellow inside linebacker Jamie Sharper asked to be released last week, approximately a week after the team gave both players permission to seek a trade. Sharper still is in limbo and could remain that way until after next month's draft, but Foreman is free to negotiate with any team in the league.
``I respect the fact they didn't string me along,'' Foreman said. ``Whether this works out for them or for me, only time will tell. I know what I can do on the field. I know the return on their investment is way better than the return they've gotten on some of their other investments.`` The Texans signed Foreman to a five-year, $12 million contract after the 2002 season. Foreman will count $1.32 million against the 2005 salary cap, but considering he was scheduled for a $2.21 million cap hit, Monday's move will save the Texans $890,000.
``When you know how good a player you are, and your teammates know how good a player you are, and then all of sudden it doesn't mean anything, that hurts,'' Foreman said. ``But it's a business, and sometimes this is how things go in the NFL. I'm not going to let it get to me. I know I'm a good player, so it should all work out.``
Foreman finished first or second in tackles each of his three seasons with the Texans, who acquired him from Buffalo in exchange for return specialist Charlie Rogers in 2002. Despite missing the final five games of last season because of an ankle injury, Foreman trailed only Sharper in tackles.
``I'm on the downside of my rehab now,'' Foreman said. ``I'm generally a quick healer. I'm going to start running next week. Now that (the release) is official, we'll see which teams are really interested. I just want to get into the right situation. My career is not over.``