Free agency acquisition has been one of the tools general manager Nick Caserio has used to rebuild the Houston Texans.
With the Texans at 7-6 and battling for a playoff spot entering Week 15, it is hard to argue such efforts have been anything but successful.
According to Brad Spielberger from Pro Football Focus, the Texans have three players in the analytics firm’s list of upcoming free agents who hit the top-40. Coming in at No. 38 overall is defensive end Jonathan Greenard:
Greenard has made the absolute most of his contract year under the tutelage of DeMeco Ryans and company., and he’s been productive as a pass rusher and run defender, with his 9.3% run-stop rate ranking eighth among qualifying edge defenders.
Greenard wins against the run because of a good first step, strong diagnosing skills and a solid ability to set the edge and avoid getting washed out at the point of attack. As a pass rusher, while he doesn’t have the deepest arsenal of moves, he is a good enough athlete to rack up clean-up and pursuit pressures if teammates chase quarterbacks his way, as he rarely gives up on a rep until the whistle blows.
Tight end Dalton Schultz managed to sneak in at No. 36 on the list. The former Dallas Cowboys 2018 fourth-round pick has hauled in 40 catches for 455 yards and five touchdowns through 11 games.
Cornerback Steven Nelson was the highest-ranked upcoming free agent at No. 35. The 30-year-old has stood out for the Texans with 51 combined tackles, nine pass breakups, and three interceptions through 13 games, 12 of which he has started.
Houston will have decisions to make in the offseason as to whether keeping veterans behooves the overall team, or if they would rather have a profound youth movement.
