Talk about out of left field! Your Houston Texans shipped former first-round pick Jason Babin to Seattle for safety Michael Boulware.
We knew that Smithiak was concerned about the talent, depth, and experience at safety, particularly with the loss of Glenn Earl a few weeks ago and the possibility that rookie Brandon Harrison is sent to the IR. The acquisition of Boulware seemingly addresses all three (3) concerns. You'd have to think that he immediately becomes a crucial part of the rotation in the secondary and that he's starting at one of the safety spots sooner rather than later. I know next to nothing about Boulware, but McClain mentions that he's solid in coverage; that alone makes me a fan of this move.
Jason Babin had a solid preseason, which makes his departure a bit more disappointing than it would have been, say, two (2) years ago. While he never produced the kind of success we hoped for when Charley Casserly mortgaged the 2003 Draft for him, his numbers suggest that he can be part of a rotation at DE. Best of luck to him in the Pacific Northwest.
More on this as we learn more about Boulware...