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On Monday night, we learned the reality-shattering news that Duane Brown was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for Jeremy Lane, a 2018 fifth-rounder and a 2019 second-rounder. Lane has struggled with multiple leg injuries this season, so it wasn’t a total shock that he failed his physical. With Lane no longer an asset the Texans were willing to take on, the terms of the trade were tweaked. The Texans now receive a third-round pick in 2018 and a second-round pick in 2019 from Seattle while surrendering Brown and a fifth-round pick in 2018.
The Texans were worse off this year by making this trade when Lane was part of the deal, and they are even worse off now that Lane’s not a part of it. Houston probably could have made a similar deal this offseason if this trade still needed to be made. It seems that by trading Brown now they were able to get a third round pick that they otherwise wouldn’t have been unable to.
The only good news on the offensive line front is that Chris Clark has been practicing this week. He strained his calf against Cleveland before the bye. He was limited in practice, but was quoted as saying, ‘I’ll be good.’ If Clark wasn’t good, the Texans would have to resort to playing Kendall Lamm to protect Deshaun Watson’s blind side. They released him last week and re-signed him this week after the Brown trade. Lamm is one of the worst offensive tackles in the league. If he has to play at all, it’s going to end in disaster. But at this point in the season, someone who knows the playbook and has played with the fellas is better than what you can get anywhere else.
In addition to the Lamm signing, the Texans added one other player. After placing Christian Covington on the IR because of a torn biceps, Houston needed to add a defensive lineman to the roster. They signed Angelo Blackson off the New England Patriots’ practice squad to fill the vacated roster spot. I don’t know who Blackson is, but he played in some games with the Tennessee Titans before as well.
Houston also worked out some defensive backs. Sterling Moore, Cody Riggs, and Sojourn Shelton all worked out for Houston. If they decide to go to the flea market in an attempt to help their secondary, one of these three players could be signed.
That’s all for this week. The roster is now set for the Texans’ game against the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday at 12 p.m.