Nearly all the talk around these parts for the past several months has centered on what the Texans should or will do with their prized free agent eligible (or more accurately, potentially soon-to-be free agent eligible) players. We've pounded our heads against the wall about Dunta Robinson. We've lamented the DeMeco Ryans and Owen Daniels situations. We've even briefly mentioned the horrifying reality of what Mario Williams' next deal will entail (deservedly entail, I might add). One guy we haven't discussed is Kevin Walter.
Is there a more unsung player on the entire roster? K-Dub has quietly gone from little-known special teams wizard/third wideout to being in the discussion of best WR2s in the league. Battle Red infused hyperbole? Look at the numbers. And in terms of bargains, I can't think of many veterans who make the kind of impact Walter does for the relatively paltry 2009 cap number of $2,000,000.00. Enjoy it while it lasts, Texans fans. Because this is very likely the last year we'll get to see Kevin Walter as a Texan.
For Walter, you see, is an unrestricted free agent after the 2009 season. He's going to command big dollars. And with so many Texan free agent mouths to feed, it says here that Kevin Walter, as valuable as he's been, could easily be the unfortunate man out, particularly given Apostrophe Davis' cap figure/skill set and David Anderson's rising stock.
While it's nice to finally be facing the problem of having players other teams covet, it's still tough facing the reality that some of the guys you've watched excel probably aren't long for Reliant Park. If there's a poster boy for that cold reality in '09, it's Kevin Walter.