The Houston Texans released future hall of fame wide receiver Andre Johnson. I don't think it's even a debate as to whether or not he'll be inducted into the hall of fame despite his lack of Touchdowns. He was the best player in franchise history up to this point in time although J.J. Watt will likely surpass him in the future. Turning 34 years old at the start of the 2015 season Andre Johnson just wants to play for a Super Bowl contender with the few good years he has left.
It's unfortunate he played on many bad Houston teams since his rookie season and he never really played with a consistently good quarterback. By releasing Andre Johnson the Texans saved a little over $8 million dollars in salary cap space this off-season. This move was expected for a month now but it became official a few hours ago.
I hope Andre Johnson ends up with a team that has an elite quarterback and is capable of winning a Super Bowl. Like Tom Brady and the New England Patriots for example. That would be my ideal preference to see him end his career. But the Packers and Seahawks, two NFC teams with amazing quarterbacks and Super Bowl winning pedigree, would also be a good fit. Maybe even the Denver Broncos so he can re-unite with Gary Kubiak and also play with Peyton Manning. I wouldn't even rule out the Colts or Ravens. It is anybody's guess where Andre Johnson will end up but he's likely to sign with a Super Bowl contender that has an elite quarterback.
Speaking of quarterbacks, the Houston Texans re-signed Ryan Mallett (two years and $7 million) and they also are close to signing free agent Brian Hoyer. Both of them have experience working with Bill O'Brien from their New England days and Ryan Mallett played in three games for the Texans last year before a season-ending injury. I've always liked Brian Hoyer myself and Ryan Mallett has played well when healthy albeit sample size. At the very least they can push each other for the starting job. I think both of those guys could be more then serviceable at the quarterback position for what is looking like a rebuilding Texans offense for 2015. Ryan Fitzpatrick will likely be the odd man out.
We have a lot of young wide receivers and tight ends to go along with a new look offensive line. Chris Myers, a two-time pro bowl center was also released. I'm also not sure how much Arian Foster has left in the tank. He's been injury prone the past two seasons (11 games missed). Bill O'Brien inherited a 2-14 team and went a respectable 9-7 as a rookie head coach in the NFL. The defense, specifically J.J. Watt, made big plays in at least seven of those wins. The Texans nearly made the playoffs despite playing four different quarterbacks and not having a healthy Jadeveon Clowney on defense, their number one overall pick last year.
Going into year two Bill O'Brien is turning this offense into his system and it should be fun to watch moving forward. At least in the long term. I expect some tough times in 2015 with some inexperienced wide receivers. DeAndre Hopkins is ready to emerge as a number one go-to guy but after him there really isn't a whole lot. I expect the Texans to draft a wide receiver sometime in the first few rounds along with signing a free agent as well.
Defensively the Houston Texans are closer to piecing together a really good team. J.J. Watt is the best defensive player in the game and Jadeveon Clowney is determined to contribute in his second season after an injury-plagued rookie season. The Texans also re-signed cornerback Kareem Jackson. Depending on Brian Cushing's health in 2015 the Texans defense has a chance to become a great unit. A lot depends on health and who they may still draft. Another young linebacker and free safety, possibly even cornerback, wouldn't hurt. I also feel a good nose tackle is essential in any 3-4 defense but I still have high hopes for the young Louis Nix III. He wasn't able to play as a rookie last year due to injury and he was placed on IR (injured reserve) during the pre-season. So between Clowney and Nix we didn't really have the chance to see just how dominating this young defense can become. But going into the 2015 season there is an abundance of young talent already on the Texans defense.
While it's a bittersweet day for fans of the Houston Texans the future is still very bright. Don't expect a Super Bowl contender going into the 2015 season, because let's face it our offense is going to be a work in progress, but what you will see is a very competitive team. I don't like to predict records but they shouldn't be much worse, and possibly even slightly better, than the 9-7 team they were last year. Andre Johnson's departure is the end of an era for Texans Football (2003 to 2014). It's time to move on which is what all NFL teams do. It's a cutthroat business that doesn't care about what you did in the past but only what you can do right now and in the future.
This post was edited by Madmartigan on Mar 9 2015 02:45pm