Texans To Sign Eugene Wilson?

by Tim on Sep 3, 2008 7:42 AM CDT in News

After your Houston Texans parted with Brandon Frye yesterday, I wondered who would be claiming his roster spot. Seems like we now have an answer, as the Chronicle reports that the team is expected to sign Eugene Wilson today.

While his career stats don't scream "impact player" and I immediately fear that Wilson is simply Rosevelt Colvin, Jr. (witness his eerily similar release by his new employer), the fact remains that Wilson has the potential to alleviate some of the concerns at CB (and to a much lesser degree, safety). That alone makes me a fan of the move. What's more, we know that Smithiak has had some success adding free agent defensive backs at seemingly inopportune times. Doubtful that Eugene Wilson does much in Pittsburgh in a few days (or possibly even for the next few weeks), but I'm encouraged by his presence on the roster as an option at CB. Here's hoping he's more Will Demps than Michael Boulware.

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I have my doubts

Belichick is the best talent evaluator in football. He let Wilson leave as a free agent. Tampa Bay just released him, and they list Phillip Buchanon as their starter ahead of Aquib Talib at LCB. We all know how mediocre Buchanon is.

Boulware was a bust, but Demps was a diamond. Secondary is our weakest group, so it is not a bad idea to give a seasoned vet with a good track record a tryout. Nothing to lose, maybe something to gain.

by oiler-texan diehard on Sep 3, 2008 5:54 PM CDT reply actions

Not Rick Smith's style.

The Stanley McClover signing was the kind of deal that indicated Rick Smith and our scouts saw some potential in the guy and thought he was worth the risk. This, on the other hand, screams of the faulty logic: “well, he was on a good team, so he must be good.”

It’s usually how teams end up with guys like Jason David, who were decent when they played in a scheme that worked for them behind a great pass rush, but really don’t have the tools to play cover CB for us (or New Orleans apparently).

I’ll gladly welcome anybody who can compete with Reeves and push Petey a bit further back on the depth chart, but this strikes me as a waste of a roster spot and something that might stunt Molden’s progress. Either that, or a concession that Dunta really isn’t going to play CB again this season.

by Nashmeister on Sep 3, 2008 7:23 PM CDT reply actions

Might not be all bad.

The majority of Wilson’s time in the league has been spent at safety. The fact that he was able to switch to CB tells me that he’s got pretty good cover skills. The fact that he got beaten out by Aqib Talib tells me that he shouldn’t be trying to play CB.

Right now, the only safety that might have cover skills is Brandon Harrison, and he has yet to play a snap in the regular season. I’ve been told that the Texans don’t really differentiate between SS and FS. Part of that might be Richard Smith, but they really haven’t had a safety who can cover, unless you count Von Hutchins. Speaking of Von, I think that he’s the best player to compare Wilson to, to determine how much of an impact he’ll have.

Hutchins started life out as a cornerback, and moved to FS because we had no one else who could play the position. The reason they wanted a CB to play FS is because traditionally, the FS is like a CB who gives the WR’s a 20 yard cushion. This makes me think that the Texans use their safeties interchangeably because of personnel, and not just because it’s their brand of defense. Wilson should be better than Hutchins because Wilson started out as a FS, and was good enough that Tampa Bay thought that he could make the switch over to CB. The assumption that Wilson should be better than Hutchins is based on the assumption that it takes more skill/talent to move from FS to CB than the other way around.

So, assuming that Wilson is a diamond in the rough, and not just a cast off from the Patriots, what we’ve done is fortify two positions with one player. If we get desperate at CB, then we’ve got a player who couldn’t possibly be worse than Faggins. If CB is only a mildly desperate area, then we could put Wilson in at FS to help out in coverage, and finally have a FS, instead of trying to play with two SS.

by Tailgate Andy on Sep 3, 2008 9:29 PM CDT reply actions