The Houston Texans may look at a Jay Cutler trade or deals for Nick Foles, Sam Bradford or Kirk Cousins this offseason to bring in a new starting quarterback for 2015 and this comes as Ryan Mallett, Brian Hoyer and Mark Sanchez could be potential free agent targets and as the team may consider the trade or release of Andre Johnson.
The Texans have a number of areas for concern this offseason, including the quarterback position and that is likely going to happen in free agency or trades and not the draft. The team took Tom Savage last year and while he could be an option down the line, he showed that he needs more time to develop. O'Brien traded for Ryan Mallett last season and used Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum and Savage and no one was able to fully win the job.
Texans reporter Tania Ganguli writes that the team has a number of needs at receiver, safety and inside linebacker along with quarterback and those could be potential draft targets. Andre Johnson could get traded or released going forward, as he had a contract issue last season and is worth $16 million on the cap. Johnson is a great talent, but he will be 34 years old and $10 million is a high salary for a player like that. The team could go the Larry Fitzgerald route and restructure, but there is a chance the sides could part ways.
Cutler is a potential option if the team wants to make a trade, as he was benched by the Bears last season and his future is up in the air. Cutler and his $15 million contract could be too much for the Texans to handle and that could lead to Foles or Cousins being targets. According to NJ.com, the Eagles are entertaining offers for Foles, as they want to move up to take Marcus Mariota in the draft. The Texans could look into that, while Cousins has also had attention on the trade market.
The Texans may also look at Josh McCown as an option in free agency, as he was just released by the Buccaneers. The other quarterbacks on the market include Mark Sanchez, Brian Hoyer, Jake Locker and Ryan Mallett, who was with the team last season. McCown is already getting attention on the market and some have speculated that he could be the first to sign of the group. McCown was the top free agent QB last year and signed a two year deal with the Bucs before getting released this offseason. The Buccaneers reportedly are ready to take either Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota in the NFL draft.
The Texans went 9-7 last season and had a string year after going just 2-14 the previous season and moving forward the quarterback position is the biggest concern for Bill O'Brien. The Texans could argue that they may have been a playoff team last season had they had a better quarterback and that could lead to the team making moves this year. Cutler and his contract could be too much for the team to handle, but after making a trade to get Mallett last season, they could look at another move like that. Foles or Cousins would likely take less to get than Cutler and could be in the wheelhouse for the Texans.
