A week from today, the 2022 NFL Trade Deadline will be upon us, and for the third straight season, the Houston Texans are viewed as potential major sellers at the deadline, given (a) where they are in their rebuild (read: still SUPER early), and (b) Nick Caserio’s affinity for and success with middle and late round draft picks as currency.
The rumor mill should be cranking out some smoke for the next seven days, and the smoke really began on Sunday morning with this tweet from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, which included speculation about Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks:
In terms of trade speculation, Cooks is the most interesting asset on the Texans roster, given the crazy wide receiver market this past offseason and given some of the receiver needy teams out there. However, I think there are a couple reasons why we won’t see Cooks moved before the deadline.
First, the extension that Cooks signed this offseason, along with a subsequent contract restructure, make it almost fiscally impossible to move Cooks. Put it this way — moving him would result in a monstrous cap hit, as depicted on Spotrac.com:
Second, I think the Texans truly want to have Cooks around as a veteran voice, amid the current rebuild. He has made it clear, he likes being in Houston, believes in Nick Caserio, and enjoys mentoring young players like Nico Collins. I’d be surprised to see Cooks moved.
That said, there are some veteran players on the roster about whom Caserio is probably receiving phone calls. Here are a few:
LAREMY TUNSIL, LT
This time a year ago, Tunsil had already wrapped up his 2021 season, when he hurt a thumb, and then just opted not to play once he was healthy again. It seemed almost like a foregone conclusion he would get traded in the offseason. Instead, the Lovie Smith hire seems to have reinvigorated Tunsil, who’s been one of the best tackles in football. Similar to Cooks, a trade of Tunsil would involve a big cap hit, but could make sense in the offseason. The most sensible thing would be to hang onto him long term, but Caserio might get calls from teams having trouble at left tackle.
JERRY HUGHES, EDGE
Hughes has been the Texans’ most effective pass rusher this season, getting off to a fast start with four sacks in the first three games of the season. Hughes is a native Houstonian, and may not want to be traded, but I could see the Texans handling Hughes in a similar fashion to how they handled Mark Ingram last season, where they gave the veteran running back some control over where he ended up. Best case with Hughes would be a 4th round pick, perhaps.
KAMU GRUGIER-HILL, LB
Grugier-Hill has been, by Pro Football Focus scores, one of the worst linebackers in football this season. In 2021, Grugier-Hill was not good either, but he was good for at least a TFL or two per game. This season, he’s been a null set. Perhaps, the Texans can dupe a team that doesn’t have Sunday Ticket or the Red Zone Channel into giving up a 7th round pick.
DESMOND KING, CB
This would be a “sell high” situation, as the Texans brought back King this season on a very reasonable two year deal. King has been one of the best slot corners in football this season, and a real asset in the return game. Best case, maybe he fetches a 5th or 6th round cpis from a CB needy team.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2022.
