I just want to start this post off by saying Happy Thanksgiving to all the Texans fans out there!
I’ve been thinking about 2024 a lot lately. We have 9 picks in the upcoming draft and over $80 million in cap space. Now, as you can see from the title you can already probably guess where I’m going with this: we should trade up for Marvin Harrison Jr.
Now, I know you guys are gonna be like “it would take too much,” “we don’t need him, we have Tank & Nico,” “this a deep receiver draft.” While there’s truth to all of this, I still think this is the perfect risk-reward scenario for the Texans and I’ll explain why.
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Draft picks are certainly important but we have done a good enough job drafting and developing quality starters as well as building a good core of players at key positions. We got Greenard and Anderson on the edge, we got Derek Stingley at CB1 (I know, jury is still out w/ his health), Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard at T, Jalen Pitre at S, To’oTo’o and Harris at LB, Pierce at RB (jury still out), CJ at QB. It’s not gonna be the end of the world if we give up picks because we have brought in so much talent in the past 3 seasons.
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We have $80 million in cap space. The areas in which we need to improve (DT, CB2, possibly another RB, etc.), there’s guys out there that we’ll be able to add in FA. DJ Reader, Jeff Okudah, Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, the list goes on. Of course I wouldn’t want to overpay for any of these guys but there’s already developed guys that can come in and be immediate contributors instead of having to wait for some guys to develop which brings me to my next and most important point.
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Our Super Bowl window opens after this season. The Texans don’t have any time to waste while CJ is on his rookie contract. We got about 3-4 years to maximize this roster and turn it into a true juggernaut that can compete with Philadelphia, Kansas City, Buffalo, Baltimore, etc. While there is certainly talented WRs in this draft that I’m sure CJ would effectively utilize, most of these guys aren’t gonna have the same Day 1 potential and contribution that Marvin Harrison Jr. would have w/ CJ throwing him the ball. Yes, it’s gonna cost likely 2 FRPs, some late round picks, and possibly a player (Kenyon Green, you are a Arizona Cardinal) but remember, those FRPs will likely convey late considering our current trajectory. Look at Philadelphia and Cincinnati, they got their star QBs their best weapons from college and look at the impact it’s had on their franchises. Both teams went to the Super Bowl. Not only that but MHJ is considered to be the BEST WR prospect since Megatron. This isn’t just anybody you’re trading up for. This is as close to a sure thing as you’re gonna get. He would instantly take our passing offense from good/competitive to downright dominant. MHJ, Nico, Tank would have CJ throwing for 4-5K yards and 30+ TDs yearly.
All of this may sound like overkill but I really do think adding MHJ to this current core of players and adding some additional talent in FA at positions of need would put us in the driver’s seat in the AFC. It may sound risky but look at how the Will Anderson trade has worked out. Giving up picks only sucks when it’s for guys who aren’t worth it. Getting the arguable BEST WR prospect in over 10 years is WORTH IT. Scared money don’t make no money.
Thanks for listening to my Texans Ted Talk. I leave you with this: https://youtu.be/p7JJHPgWacY?si=5meEnrdOZ7D6waFw
half of the defense won’t be here in 2 years.
We need those picks in order to draft defenders because as you said,
We are far less likely to accomplish that on Defense if we trade up for a luxury like MHJ. We need young first rounders on that side of the ball. We can’t kick that can down the road for 3 more years.