speaking of OL...

how long are the Texans tied to Tunsil and Howard?

officially (contract) and realistically (cap cut)

W said:

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speaking of OL...

how long are the Texans tied to Tunsil and Howard?

officially (contract) and realistically (cap cut)

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For both, contracts go through 2026, realistically we could probably cut either post June 1 next year without a ton of dead money. Assuming I'm using the following site correctly

https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/houston-texans

Ags #1 said:

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Tunsil is an all pro why would we want to cut him?

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All Pro False Starter

Also he's NOT an all pro. He's been to the probowl, which is a joke these days.

I mean he is good for one a game but still one of the better left tackles in the league

mAgnoliAg said:

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Ags #1 said:

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I mean he is good for one a game but still one of the better left tackles in the league

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More like 0.35 per game. From what I'm seeing, he had 6 all year.

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The only reason you cut Tunsil is if you can fine someone who adds more to the run blocking scheme than we lose in the pass blocking scheme. Risk is that they are worse at both and CJ ends the season on IR.

mAgnoliAg said:

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Ags #1 said:

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I mean he is good for one a game but still one of the better left tackles in the league

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More like 0.35 per game. From what I'm seeing, he had 6 all year.

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He was tied for 3rd in the league OL in penalties last year. With 11, 8 were false starts (including post season)
4th in the league the year before 2022.
2021 he didn't play the entirety of the season same with 2020, 2019 he lead the league in penalties with 17.

So since joining the Texans he has been top 4 in penalties in the seasons he has played entirely. He is absolutely replaceable.

And, many, if not most of those, were drive killers.

And he absolutely neutralized Myles Garret in the Cleveland playoff game. And protecting CJ is going to be a premium requirement of anyone who replaces him. And few equal his Pass pro skills.

it's the value equation

contract size vs. production

He's a world class pass blocker and a great asset for protecting CJ's blindside.

But he does get penalized way too much for someone at his level. You would like to see him get that better under control. It's gone on long enough that it's probably just the tradeoff you have to live with. And I definitely will take that tradeoff. But I understand the frustration with it.

It's one of those things where a player pushes the edge of legality and because they ride that edge they punch above weight. You see the same thing in other sports.

Jack Easterby spotted at Aggie hoops tonight.

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/foley-fatukasi-visited-texans-set-to-visit-bills-thursday

Fatukasi would be a good depth piece at DT

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/nfl-teams-have-cut-more-than-100-million-in-safeties-salaries

So Justin Simmons, Kevin Byard, Jamal Adam, Qundre Diggs, and Jordan Poyer are already available at safety this year. I'm betting we sign another starter level talent to offset Ward, and if Ward stays health, it'll let us move Pitre around.

Edit, I guess I completely forgot we only signed Ward to a 2 year deal last year. So yeah, I bet we're signing a new starter as Ward only counts 7.7 million total against the cap this year and is off the books next year.

Diggity said:

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I honestly don't think there are any coaches that rate their OL based on false starts per year.

Is it frustrating? Of course. Is it totally overblown by fans on this site...also correct.

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When your offensive line kills a drive with a false start, I guarantee you that infuriates a coach.

Max Power said:

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Schultz had some interesting things to say about Dallas vs Houston. Literally people touring the practice facility in Dallas can stand behind a one way mirror and watch the players lifting...that's weird.

Is this a culture problem? Dalton Schultz compares the zoo-like atmosphere with the Cowboys to all football with the Texans pic.twitter.com/cRAdJUzsF4

— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) March 6, 2024

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Please tell me they keep a pump bottle of jergens in this room….

IrishAg said:

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https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/nfl-teams-have-cut-more-than-100-million-in-safeties-salaries

So Justin Simmons, Kevin Byard, Jamal Adam, Qundre Diggs, and Jordan Poyer are already available at safety this year. I'm betting we sign another starter level talent to offset Ward, and if Ward stays health, it'll let us move Pitre around.

Edit, I guess I completely forgot we only signed Ward to a 2 year deal last year. So yeah, I bet we're signing a new starter as Ward only counts 7.7 million total against the cap this year and is off the books next year.

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Didn't Ward play nickel in SF?

Too many good safeties available not to add somebody. Ward was injured a lot and Pitre wasn't very good last year. Ward only has one more year on his contract, and I don't think you can count on him. Not part of your long term plans. Not sure that Pitre is either...this is a really important year for him.

Max Power said:

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https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/texans-re-sign-kaimi-fairbairn-to-three-year-deal

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Glad he's shaped up the last two years, but we'll see if this is a good idea. I don't like it. He's a good kicker, But this makes him the third-highest paid kicker in the league. He has recently become consistent, but he isn't a weapon that can help shorten the field.

He only had to attempt 8 FG over 40 yards last year. We can find quite a few kickers that can go 20/20 from inside of 40.

His last contract sure wasn't worth it--one of BOB's more idiotic ideas actually. He had some really good kicks from 50-55 last year that helped us win, but we'll see if that is worth top 3 money at the position.

Yeah, your in-season replacement wasn't as good... And I even mentioned his increased success from 50-55 last year.

But he isn't a top 3 kicker, and wasn't even in the conversation of top 10 until last year.

Buck Compton said:

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Yeah, your in-season replacement wasn't as good... And I even mentioned his increased success from 50-55 last year.

But he isn't a top 3 kicker, and wasn't even in the conversation of top 10 until last year.

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Good news is his deal will still be out before CJ, tank, and will big money deals. Same with Schultz, and hopefully same with whatever free agents they sign this offseason.

What hasn't been mentioned yet is his injury history.

He seems to be hurt a lot for a kicker.

Ag_07 said:

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What hasn't been mentioned yet is his injury history.

He seems to be hurt a lot for a kicker.

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Texan_Aggie said:

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With all due respect, he's the 8th most accurate kicker in NFL history and was the 2nd most accurate kicker in the league last year. Dude missed 1 field goal.

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I look at trends, not at one year. Look, it might be great as he is trending up, but he isn't top 3. There are 6 active players ahead of him in FG% on your list (plus Josh Lambo who is no longer in the league). The game has changed, so "in NFL history" doesn't mean a lot to me on FGs.

And the last two years he has definitely picked up his game vs. the beginning of his career, but between injury concerns (missed 8 games over the last 3 years--a lot for a kicker) and potential for reversion to his mean, I am just going to be cautious about labeling this a home run signing.

I also admit that I am still holding BOB's dumb decision-making against Fairbairn. I remember in 2020 when we were already tight on cap and had a million other needs, Fairbairn had been below league average in both XP and in FG and we made him one of the highest paid kickers in the league at the time. This was just days after the Hopkins trade.

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I also admit that I am still holding BOB's dumb decision-making against Fairbairn. I remember in 2020 when we were already tight on cap and had a million other needs, Fairbairn had been below league average in both XP and in FG and we made him one of the highest paid kickers in the league at the time. This was just days after the Hopkins trade.

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That must've was around the time BoB was actively trying to get fired.

Jeez...What a s-show this org was at that time.

Cross Chris Jones off the list. 4 year extension w the Chiefs.

Texan_Aggie said:

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Cross Chris Jones off the list. 4 year extension w the Chiefs.

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Damn, I guess all in on Wilkins