Red Zone Play: Who’s Your #3 Priority For The Texans?

With the release of Vernon Hargreaves III, we can surmise that the newest Houston Texans general manager, Bill O’Brien, is hard at work sculpting a new roster for the 2020 season. Love O’Brien or hate him, cutting Hargreaves was the right move. Don’t believe that? Search YouTube for “Vernon Hargreaves Texans highlights” or try finding any meaningful stats he racked up during his brief time in battle red. If O’Brien didn’t cut VH3 and instead paid him the nearly $10 million cap hit he was due in 2020, it might be hard for even the staunchest BOB supporters to defend that move.

That brings us to the two most important moves the new Texans GM needs to make: extending Deshaun Watson and Laremy Tunsil.

While Watson is under contract for the 2020 season with a $1.17 mil cap hit (per Rotoworld.com) the longer O’Brien waits to extend the greatest QB in franchise history, the bigger the cap hit will be to swallow when it comes due. With Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes about to cash in, the ticket price of a franchise QB is about to jump significantly. With so many holes on the roster, O’Brien would be wise to act now and minimize the percentage of his overall cap dedicated to Watson.

Next up on the priority list is franchise left tackle Laremy Tunsil. While Tunsil isn’t quite Duane Brown, he’s certainly the closest to the former All-Pro LT the Texans have seen since Brown went to Seattle via trade in 2017. Tunsil’s contract status is in the club option phase, with rumors swirling that “LT the LT” might just be the highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL very soon. With 2019 rookies Max Scharping and Tytus Howard doing their part to bolster the offensive line, keeping Tunsil under contract will go a long way in finally fixing the mess that’s been the Texans o-line for far too long.

That brings us the question of the day: Who do you think is the #3 priority for the Texans this offseason?

Some might say it’s re-signing D.J. Reader. Others might want Bradley Roby locked up long-term. Still others might put forth that Carlos Hyde needs to retire in Deep Steel Blue. There are also those who feel bringing in a free agent edge rusher is the #1 focus, whole others would say addressing the broken secondary with draft picks and/or free agents should be the preeminent focus.

Which do you think Bill O’Brien needs to address after making sure Watson and Tunsil are staying in Houston for years to come? Give us your thoughts in the comments box.