00:00I got a little game for you, because free agents are now something that you have to take into account
00:04if you're D'Amico Ryans and Nick Casario and all of the front office and management structure for this team.
00:10And so I kind of wanted to look at what we have free agent-wise, but I wanted to do it in a different way.
00:14So here's a little game for you.
00:16We're going to – I said I was going to do a Gus go, but I feel like I'm going to do a pick one.
00:20Same concept.
00:21I'll give you a group of guys, and you tell me where the Texans should prioritize in that group.
00:27Does that sound fair enough?
00:28I love it.
00:28All right, let's do that.
00:30I think we start at the heart of the team.
00:32In fact, they talk about it as the machine or like the kind of the motor of the team, the defensive line.
00:39There's a lot of defensive line free agents.
00:41However, I'll kind of focus in this way.
00:43Which of these ones do you pick to prioritize?
00:45Play along, 713-572-4610.
00:49You have Derek Barnett, Sheldon Rankins, and Tim Settle on your defensive line.
00:55Pick one to prioritize to return for your Texans this upcoming season.
01:00I think this one was easy for me, Sheldon Rankins.
01:04I think you can make the argument on the others, but for me, you can make do on the edges and elsewhere, but Sheldon Rankins was just next level.
01:14Yeah, and on top of that, I think I agree with you, and I would go Sheldon Rankins, and one, because I've been singing Sheldon Rankins' praise, one, it's clear that he still has something in the tank, which was the question I had with Cincinnati.
01:28And come to find out, he was dealing with some really tough medical issues in Cincinnati, and him being here, he has been phenomenal in the middle of it.
01:36He's been the mainstay, but also, it seems like there's an additional leadership aspect, because Tim Settle is a really good shout here.
01:44You've seen the impact of Tim Settle just as a big body, but then also, he's a pass rusher from the interior.
01:50He's a force.
01:51He penetrates and gets upfield, which is something that is absolutely necessary.
01:56Disruptor.
01:56That's a great describer, or descriptor, rather, for Tim Settle.
02:00He disrupts things, and it was a great credit to Tommy Togiai that he was able to do some facsimile of that as he got even more burned.
02:09But Tim Settle, we can't forget just how strong he was on the interior.
02:13Yeah.
02:14With all due respect to Tim Settle, the respect that Sheldon Rankins has, one, as somebody that helps Will Anderson Jr., who is the tip of the spear when you talk about your defense, I think matters.
02:25But then, when he speaks, the rest of that defense listens.
02:28And I think that the hierarchy of influence in that locker room and on this team has been one that's interesting, and he's been a part of that in a great way.
02:37Yeah.
02:37No, I think, and it wouldn't be easy.
02:40I mean, well, it was relatively easy for me, but I know that it's a tough decision if you had to pick one of those.
02:45Okay.
02:45Yeah.
02:45All right, so let me go to some offensive options for you.
02:50Okay.
02:50Pick one to prioritize, okay?
02:52Mm-hmm.
02:53Christian Kirk, Nick Chubb, Braxton Berrios.
02:59Ooh.
03:00Ooh.
03:01Actually, I'll throw Indariah Gumboale in here as well.
03:03Oh, this one is tough.
03:05Pick one to prioritize.
03:07I, why am I thinking Christian Kirk?
03:11Because he just had 144 yards in the game versus Pittsburgh.
03:16Yeah, but beyond that.
03:17Exactly.
03:18Yeah.
03:18He didn't do much at all.
03:20On the other hand, Darryah Gumboale, he might have run his course here.
03:24They love him, but it might have run its course.
03:27He is a replacement-level player.
03:29All right, let me take out Darryah from this one because I will use him elsewhere.
03:32Okay.
03:32All right?
03:32Okay.
03:33So, who are the other two?
03:34So, you got Nick Chubb, Braxton Berrios, Christian Kirk.
03:37Braxton Berrios, thank you for your service.
03:39Chris, and Nick Chubb.
03:41What service?
03:42Yeah, what service?
03:44Well, he played on Sunday.
03:46He had Alex Earl wearing red boots for a little bit.
03:49So, that was a thing.
03:50Yeah.
03:50And Nick Chubb, I think, probably, you know, it's over.
03:57So, you go Christian Kirk by default here?
03:59Pretty much by default.
04:00If I did not make you pick one, are all three of those gone to your estimation?
04:06Yes.
04:06I think all three should be gone.
04:08Could be gone.
04:08Okay.
04:09All right.
04:09How about, I would like to go back to the defensive line, but I'm going to get to depth.
04:13All right?
04:14Defensive depth.
04:15All right?
04:17Naquan Jones.
04:18Okay.
04:19Lakey Foto.
04:20Okay.
04:20Kurt Heinish.
04:22I am going to say.
04:24I'll throw a full of Fatakasi for you as well.
04:26Hmm.
04:28Well, in that case, I might keep Fatakasi.
04:31Really?
04:31Yeah.
04:32With all the injuries that he's had.
04:34I mean, he was damn near not here.
04:36But he's been productive when he's on the field.
04:37I was going to say Foto.
04:39Yeah.
04:40Naquan Jones had a good end of the season.
04:42I liked Naquan Jones.
04:43And maybe this was just because it did feel like as a team, they a little bit more towards
04:49the very end.
04:49But I thought I liked Naquan Jones.
04:50I think that he might be one of those guys that you can kind of fold in.
04:53I think that might be recency bias, too.
04:55He had a couple of, you know, here recently in a couple of plays.
04:58Sure.
04:58But, I mean, that's kind of what we're looking at when we get all the way down to the very,
05:02very depths of this.
05:03Yeah.
05:04Seems like some people are in on the fish.
05:05Three different answers.
05:06No.
05:06And I think that's the beauty of it.
05:07All right.
05:08Can I get you with the special teamers?
05:10All right.
05:10Some special teamers.
05:10And this is where I'll bring Daria Gumbale back.
05:12Okay.
05:13Because I think that this is where his value is.
05:14I think he's less of a running back real, really, and truly option for you.
05:18But on special teams, I think that he ends up being an option.
05:21Absolutely.
05:21He's a captain, right?
05:22Yeah.
05:22When you see him there.
05:23Daria Gumbale, Tommy Townsend, the punter.
05:28And you'll forgive me because I'm doing a little fudging here, but Niko Autry.
05:34Remember, kick-blocking specialist.
05:37Yeah.
05:37He's a blocker.
05:38I think this is a little easier, too.
05:39I'm going to go with Autry.
05:40Because he can block kicks, because he's also the depth guy.
05:43He's made some big plays.
05:45If I had to pick just between the other two, which is the harder decision, I might.
05:51I'd go Tommy Townsend.
05:53And he wasn't spectacular, but he wasn't bad.
05:55Yeah.
05:56And I told you my one annoyance with Tommy Townsend, and I realized I'm going to be standing
06:00pretty lonely on a lot of this, which is at times he outkicks his coverage.
06:05And then also, there's a few times this season where he shanks some punts.
06:09But I think, by and large, you feel pretty good about it.
06:11I do wonder, though, like, is this one of those things where you think the grass is green
06:15or you get out there and you find yourself in a nasty punt situation?
06:18I don't know.
06:19And it might also be just finding some money.
06:22You know, he doesn't make a ton, but, you know, maybe get a young rookie punter in here
06:25or something like that.
06:25What about this?
06:29When we go to the defensive backs?
06:32Kayvon Wallace, Jimmy Ward, MJ Stewart.
06:39Defensive back depth.
06:40And I think that this becomes kind of interesting because you've got some young depth that I think
06:45is going to come together for you when you look at, obviously, Jalen Reed is there.
06:50Jalen Smith, who also got hurt, looks like a very, very good backup cornerback for you.
06:56I don't know how you felt about Trayvon Smith, but he was also pretty good.
06:59But these guys, as, like, defensive back depth, Kayvon Wallace, especially safety-wise,
07:05Kayvon Wallace, Jimmy Ward, MJ Stewart.
07:10Not Jimmy Ward.
07:12I think that's kind of run its course, too.
07:15I was going to say MJ Stewart.
07:17That's what I was going to say.
07:18I was going to say MJ Stewart.
07:20He was all right, and I wasn't an MJ Stewart fan.
07:22And he's a depth guy, so he was actually excited until he got hurt.
07:26I'm not quite sold on Kayvon Wallace.
07:29Maybe that's the bias of him, you know, not having a good communication.
07:34I think I'll say MJ Stewart.
07:35What about you?
07:35That feels like the right answer there.
07:37He's younger.
07:38He feels like he's a little bit more malleable.
07:40And I think of the guys there, he fits the ethos of what they do best without, I mean,
07:45Jimmy Ward would fit the ethos, but we were on the back end of that viability.
07:50And clearly, an injury took him out for the entirety of the season.
07:52We were already looking at what might be the end here.
07:55Yeah.
07:56Also, we might be beyond the need for, like, him as elder statesman.
08:02Like, leader guy in the secondary.
08:04Although, I do ask, who do you look at if you do not have a guy in secondary?
08:09Well, Kalen Bullock's entering his third season, and you have the two cornerbacks.
08:13I mean, this is the Fab Four stuff, you know?
08:15Yeah.
08:16You're leaning into the Fabulous, the Fantastic Four.
08:18Fantastic Four, yeah, yeah.
08:19You wanted to go Fab Five.
08:20I wanted to go Fab Fives because they play nickel so much.
08:22Yeah, but, I mean, hey, you let Jalen Reed take over that spot.
08:26It'll actually be interesting to see because I think MJ Stewart would have a shot to try and
08:30earn that starting job.
08:31I think Jalen Reed would have the advantage.
08:33Sure, without question.
08:34Younger and more, I guess.
08:36I was like, is he still cheaper?
08:38Is he not?
08:39That's crazy.
08:39All right, this one is just two, but I think it's a tough two.
08:43Offensive line, Trent Brown, Ed Ingram.
08:47Trent Brown.
08:48I'll run it back one more time.
08:50I know he's older.
08:51I know he's a big dude that has, you know, kind of been prone to injuries.
08:54Ed Ingram, I think, is clearly sliding.
08:57Trent Brown, outside of the injuries, looked as better than I thought he would be.
09:02I think you're probably right, although you can't go outside of the injuries because
09:06the injuries matter here.
09:07Yeah.
09:08Ed Ingram was more healthy.
09:09He was more substantial to the larger portion of your season.
09:13I think he started turning a little bit into a pumpkin at the end.
09:15Not to say that he was bad because you had some bad offensive line play at points in this
09:19year, but the height that you felt like you had where you're like, oh man, Ed Ingram.
09:23Yeah.
09:23Even, I don't know if you noticed this, even on the Stover shoves, right?
09:26When you got up there and you kind of did your sneaks with Cade Stover, you notice he
09:29wasn't behind Ed Ingram anymore.
09:31He was going all the way to the edge to behind your right tackle, which most of the time was
09:35Titus Howard.
09:36I feel like that was somewhat an indication of how he'd step back in the later stations
09:39of the season.
09:39Yeah, I would go with Trent Brown too, and not even as a, oh, this is our starter right
09:45here.
09:45Just off the strength, I would bring him back.
09:48That's exactly what I was going to say, Figgy.
09:50I would go Trent Brown, but I would still want competition there.
09:53Yeah.
09:53Like, as a depth tackle for you.
09:56Kind of how he came in this year.
09:58Exactly.
09:58Yeah.
09:59Ed Ingram, I just, even how good he was this year, I still didn't think like, oh, that's
10:05our guy right there.
10:06Yes.
10:06I still never had that thought.
10:08Also, one of my favorite coaching cliches, you can't teach size.
10:11I just want the opportunity to have a 6'8", 300-something pound pounder to just throw someone
10:18out the club every once in a while.
10:19He's a monster.
10:20He is a monster.
10:22Right.
10:22The only ones that I didn't get to when it came to free agents was the linebackers.
10:27I'm going to throw it out here because I feel like it's easy, though.
10:30Christian Harris, Damone Clark, EJ Speed.
10:33Christian Harris, Damone Clark, EJ Speed.
10:37Boy, why is Christian Harris not a layup answer?
10:40That's the sad part.
10:41Why is he just not a layup?
10:44EJ Speed.
10:45Yeah.
10:45It's without question EJ Speed.
10:47Yeah.
10:47And there's some of these that, I don't know, if I gave you the choice in
10:52said you don't have to pick one, I think there will be some that you abstain.
10:55EJ Speed is a yeah.
10:56Yeah.
10:56He very much, he fit in very nicely as your third linebacker this year.
10:59Sometimes filled in nicely as your second.
11:01Yeah.
11:02Had a good game.
11:03Actually had a decent game this past week.
11:05Yeah.
11:05But those are your free agents that you're looking at.
11:07And it's interesting because even with the number of defensive kind of free agents,
11:11a lot of them are depth.
11:13And I think the one that you look at as that was a starter that would probably be a starter
11:17again is Sheldon Rankins.
11:18And that one feels easy because he loved being here.
11:20He loved being in the system.
11:21That's why he came back.
11:23And I think that they need him and they would want him as well.
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