Earl Cochran's Tender Offer Taken Away

by curtisdisco on Mar 11, 2009 10:25 AM CDT Comment 12 comments

Earl Cochran's tendered offer has been taken off the table. Cochran is now a free agent, can sign with any team, and the Texans will not get any compensation. I like Cochran and feel this move is not great considering he showed some promise last year. Maybe we can still work something out, but to me I think he's gone and we take a DE in the draft (2nd or 3rd round?).

What do you guys think? Is this a good move? Does it suggest we'll be taking a DE in Round 2 or 3?

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I Wonder

How much of this is motivated by Cochran coming off that injury last season. I’ve always liked the guy and thought he should’ve been starting over The Corpse Formerly Known As Anthony Weaver since 2007.

Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...

by Tim on Mar 11, 2009 1:03 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Pancakes is now reporting that Cochran has been released

Article up at chron.com

He also states that the Texans are not expected to sign Montgomery. That is clearly opinion, not fact. Why do you bring the guy in for an interview and physical if you have no intention of making an offer? Signing him would eliminate the need (if any still exists) to draft a DE which would make perfect sense to me.

by oiler-texan diehard on Mar 11, 2009 1:26 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: Cochran

I believe that the decision to renege on the tender offer operated to make Cochran an unrestricted free agent. In other words, “released” or “unrestricted free agent” might just be a matter of semantics. Same result, anyway.

Agreed on Montgomery. Makes no sense to undertake the expense of bringing him in if you’re not interested in signing him.

Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...

by Tim on Mar 11, 2009 1:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m sure they had every intent to offer a contract if the interview went well, but maybe the starting number was ridiculous, or for whatever reason – the interview didn’t go as well as they had hoped.

Chris - www.HoustonDiehards.com

by HoustonDiehards on Mar 11, 2009 1:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

re: Interview didn't go well...

or the physical….

So you're saying that now I have to think of some witty Sig that will be applicable across all the SBN sites? Go Texan Horn Stros!

by Shake on Mar 11, 2009 10:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Texans were never going to get any compensation for Cochran. He was undrafted. The only advantage they had was that they had right of first refusal for any contract Cochran would have been offered.

I also thought – as Tim does – that this was an injury issue… but the guy they brought in following, Montgomery, also has some recurring injury issues.

I’m thinking that when Cochran’s agent turned down the Texans’ offer, they must have said something in the ballpark of “this isn’t nearly enough, we’re a long way away,” or something…. then the Texans reacted by saying “forget it” and aren’t even bothering to keep their right of first refusal, because they know he’s going to want more than they’re willing to pay.

Just my opinion.

Chris - www.HoustonDiehards.com

by HoustonDiehards on Mar 11, 2009 1:43 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Makes sense

Cochran must not be recovering very well from the toe surgery. Too bad. Before he went down I thought he was easily our second best pass rushing DE. Bulman showed some promise as well, but taking Earl out of the mix, we definitely need to add another DE to the rotation.

The 2nd round pick to me comes down to a decision between DE and C/RG. We could use an upgrade at center or RG and several decent players should be available at 46. IF either Ayers or Johnson is also available this is not a simple choice IMO. I would be OK if we could get an immediate starter on the OLine or a pass rushing DE with #46.

by oiler-texan diehard on Mar 11, 2009 2:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Losing Cochran is no Biggie

Hey, the guy was average. I agree that it sounds like he was looking for too much money. Why a guy like Cochran, who’s never accomplished anything special in his career, would go to the money table with a set of demands is beyond me. I like the Texans’ approach of “come back when you’re healthy and we’ll talk then.” Fitting I’d say.

The true test in the life of a Texans fan is how gracefully you endure it.

by TexanKurt on Mar 11, 2009 3:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's Not Quick Enough

Sometime in the past, LZ indicated that Cochrane isn’t athletic enough to be anything more than a fill-in in the new defense. That probably caps his value to the team below what Cochrane feels that he is worth. And if he’s injured, and “just a guy,” why have him take up space on the roster?
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I got to say that Cochrane is one of those guys you pull for, so I hope they do eventually have a place for him on the team.

by kozanack on Mar 11, 2009 9:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pulling For Him

You said it. I loved the guy’s energy. Cochran’s probably not a starter in the league, but I see no reason he couldn’t be in the rotation at DE.

That said, if his agent really tried to play hardball, with his client coming off an injury and the Texans just having inked a DE to a free agent contract, I think he needs new representation.

Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...

by Tim on Mar 11, 2009 9:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs