As John McClain mentioned in his Sunday Notebook , the Texans have some tough decisions to make as they approach the free agent market. They're only slightly under the cap, and there's likely not enough money to attract any big-ticket talent. As such, it's logical to wonder if the Texans would consider cutting some veterans to free up some cash, despite their obvious preference to build through the draft.
McClain specifically mentions Domanick Williams, Seth Payne, and Zach Wiegert as potential cap casualties. The Artist Formerly Known As Domanick Davis would seem to be a no-brainer candidate for dismissal, wouldn't he? The Texans signed him to a long-term deal a couple of seasons ago, and his cap number next year would be $5,480,00.00 ; that's the fourth highest allocation on the team right now. Given Davis-Williams' discouraging injury history and the presence of Ron Dayne and Chris Taylor (as well as whoever may be added in the draft), don't you almost have to bid Domanick goodbye and good luck? Much like our much-maligned QB, I'm sure Rick Smith would prefer to fetch something in trade for the all-time leading rusher in franchise history, but I cannot imagine that any team would willingly absorb The Artist's salary, particularly after he missed all of last season with a knee injury.
As much as you'd hate to get rid of The Artist before Kubiak even had a chance to really work with him, I think it has to happen. That money can and should be used elsewhere. Like, say, in the secondary. Or on the offensive line. Or to hire a couple of goons to repeatedly kick Charley Casserly square in the pills for what he did to this town.