The Houston Texans have done well to acquire free agent talent.
The Texans fortified their offensive line trading for guard Shaq Mason, added key linebackers with Cory Littleton and Denzel Perryman, provided a lieutenant from DeMeco Ryans’ San Francisco 49ers tenure with safety Jimmie Ward, and gave their new quarterback a target with Dalton Schultz.
According to Brad Spielberger from Pro Football Focus, as well as the Texans have done in free agency, their best player they let get away was defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo.
It’s a bit puzzling as to why Houston didn’t do more to try to keep Okoronkwo, but perhaps they did and he just wanted to go elsewhere. After a slow start heading into the team’s Week 6 bye, Okoronkwo exploded out of the gate from Week 7 on, with his 88.5 pass-rush grade ranking sixth among edge defenders from that point on.
Okoronkwo’s 22.9% pass-rush win rate ranked seventh and his 17.5% pressure percentage ranked eighth among edge defenders over the same span, and he became a starter for the first time in his career in Week 11 without a drop-off in down-to-down efficiency. He may not be a 1,000-snap player, but the value of 500-700 snaps at this level is worth quite a bit, and Cleveland may have landed a steal here.
Defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire said on Dec. 15, 2022, that Okoronkwo brought “pure energy” to the unit.
“He’s energy, pure energy,” said Cesaire. “If you look at him, he’s always got a smile on his face. He loves the game. You can tell he really loves the game. The way he rushes, the way he attacks the line of scrimmage. He’s not the biggest guy on the field, but he’s got the biggest heart. He’s a guy that you trust and rely on each play.”
The Texans have significantly addressed all positions on the roster through the first wave of free agency, save for quarterback, receiver, and defensive end.
