When the Houston Texans were in the process of bottoming out in 2021, and the new general manager was tasked with beginning the rebuild, and decided to strip the team down to the studs (including making someone completely unqualified the head coach), Caserio brought in several fringe veteran players on one-year deals to try to reset the culture and, honestly, field a team. The Texans were that undesirable a destination back then.
Many of those players have moved on, but some remain here on borrowed time, while the young players drafted into the organization represent the next wave of Houston Texans. One veteran player who appears to have made an impression on Caserio and new head coach DeMeco Ryans is defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who, in two seasons as a Texan, has 66 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 5 fumble recoveries in 30 games.
AS of Wednesday afternoon, Collins has defied the odds, and after signing a contract extension to remain a Texan a year ago, will sign an extension to add two more seasons onto his future as a Houston Texans. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the signing:
Let’s take a quick dive into this latest Texans signing:
Does this contract make sense?
When you consider that the high end of the defensive tackle market has exploded to over $20 million per year (see: Simmons, Jeffrey), getting Collins, who has been very solid on one of the lesser run defenses in football, on a deal at just over $11 million per year without a super long term commitment is solid maneuvering by Texans GM Nick Caserio.
The Texans’ addition of Sheldon Rankins on a one-year deal alongside Collins gives the team a formidable interior, as they try to recover from giving up nearly 3,000 yards rushing in 2022. Per ESPN.com metrics, in 2022, the Texans’ defense success rate against the run was 57.3 percent when Collins was on the field versus 53.8 percent when he wasn’t.
Who else could get extended before the season?
The player everyone is watching and possibly expecting an extension for this offseason is right tackle Tytus Howard, who, as of now, is set to play 2023 on the fifth year option of his rookie contract, a value of just over $13 million. The Texans have already given top of market (or near top of market) deals to left tackle Laremy Tunsil and right guard Shaq Mason this offseason, so an extension for Howard would mean the team has an awful lot invested in the offensive line.
Among other players, it is worth noting that Steven Nelson and Desmond King have both hired David Mulugheta (Deshaun Watson’s and C.J. Stroud’s agent) to represent them as they both head into contract years. I could see the Texans extending at least one of these two, and if I had to guess, it would be King, who’s proven valuable as a slot corner, on the outside, and in the return game.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
