- 6 months ago
Seth and Sean discuss Kenneth Walker III having the perfect mentality to match the Texans and Texans-centric parts of Fox's Top 100 NFL Free Agents.
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00:00So yesterday, on Tuesday, the guys here, and this might have been Monday, the guys finally
00:08made it to Disneyland, and by the guys, I mean Kenneth Walker and Sam Darnold, who were
00:12the two guys in the commercial on the field after the game, hey, Sam Darnold and Kenneth
00:17Walker, you just won the Super Bowl, where are you going?
00:19We're going to Disneyland, and they actually go to Disneyland, and they're on the parade
00:22that day, and ESPN, who's also part of Disney, takes their whole act there, and they put
00:27up their first take counter there, and they do first take from Disneyland, and all that
00:32stuff.
00:33Ryan Clark asked this question to Kenneth Walker.
00:36Walker and Darnold were on the set with them, and Ryan Clark asked, what did you guys do?
00:41How did you celebrate?
00:42You guys were the most calm Super Bowl winners that I've ever seen.
00:47There wasn't no celebration.
00:48None of y'all turned up.
00:49Tell me, at some point last night, y'all got lit when y'all got with y'all people, bro.
00:54Well, I just chill with my family.
00:56So, I chill with my family.
00:57We went to the room and vibed out.
00:59But I think it's really the way we went about things throughout the season.
01:04You know, we had that one-and-one mentality, and, you know, that's how everybody's mindset
01:08was throughout the season.
01:09So, I think that game, that's the reason that our mindset was the way it was that game.
01:14And Ryan Clark was aghast with this.
01:17He was like, you didn't do anything?
01:20You didn't go to the club?
01:21You didn't do it?
01:22He couldn't believe it.
01:23Kenneth Walker, Texans worthy.
01:25Texans worthy, yeah, very much.
01:27I was, I'm glad that Ryan Clark said that, because I, you know what, I had the same thought
01:31afterwards, but credit to him for actually noticing that he had that thought and saying
01:35it, was that they did, they seemed like a relatively sedate by Super Bowl champion level.
01:42You're saying like right after the game?
01:44Yeah, which makes me feel like that bodes well for them next year.
01:47Yeah.
01:47I feel like this is a group that's not going to ride the highs and the lows all that much.
01:52But, yeah, I think very similar to, you know, obviously there's different personality types
01:58on the Texans.
01:59I think, honestly, some of the Texans' defenses are going to totally act the fool after they
02:03win a Super Bowl.
02:04Oh.
02:04They've got, because they are extreme extroverts, you know.
02:07I'm not saying in the clubs, but just on the field and everything immediately afterwards.
02:11Yeah, Kenneth Walker, you'd put him into that category of guys that seems like he probably
02:17just likes playing football.
02:18Yeah.
02:19And doesn't need a whole lot of the external validation or any of the other stuff that
02:26goes along with the lifestyle or anything.
02:28He just, if he can be a football nerd the way the Texans have so many football nerds.
02:32Yeah.
02:32Guys that just live, eat, breathe football.
02:34Yep.
02:35He seems like that kind of guy.
02:37Absolutely.
02:37Absolutely.
02:38And we know, from what I've heard, D'Amico likes him a lot.
02:41He fills a need.
02:42And he's Texans worthy.
02:44So, Fox Sports has their top 100 free agency list.
02:47We're now into this time of year.
02:49Mock drafts, free agency, combine coming up pretty soon.
02:53And free agency is less than a month.
02:55What's today?
02:55The 11th today?
02:56A month from today is the day that guys can actually sign.
03:01Legal tampering begins on March 9th, if you're a calendar nerd like I am.
03:07But they've got their top 100 free agent list.
03:09A lot of Texans angles in this one.
03:11There are a handful of current Texans on here.
03:14I will say this.
03:15Because it goes to show you, if you're looking at, the Texans were a really good team this
03:19year, 12 and 5.
03:20And their highest ranked free agent on this list is Ed Ingram at 65.
03:27So, they don't have really any marquee free agents that are going out onto the market.
03:34The only three Texans that are on this list are all 65 or higher on the list.
03:39Ed Ingram at 65.
03:41Sheldon's at 84.
03:43Christian Kirk at 97.
03:45They've got Kirk going to the Colts in light of the fact they think Alec Pierce is probably
03:50going to leave.
03:51So, they'll have a need at receiver.
03:53Obviously, Kirk will be signing for a lot less money than Pierce will somewhere else.
03:56But they'll have a need at receiver.
03:57The interesting thing with respect to the Texans on this list, Seth, is that the folks at Fox
04:04have both Sheldon Rankins and Ed Ingram re-signing with the Texans.
04:09Yeah, well, as far as a need at receiver, I mean, part of that is that you hope that Jalen
04:14Noel really emerges more.
04:15It's not like they got a whole bunch out of Christian Kirk or anything.
04:18Nobody in Houston right now is saying, oh, no, God, how are they going to replace Christian
04:22Kirk?
04:22That was one of the lesser moves that the Texans made in the offseason.
04:27Although, he did come up big versus the Steelers.
04:29That's the most money out of any of those guys that they went and got in the offseason.
04:32Yeah, but, I mean, shoot, who knows?
04:35He was a huge part of the Steelers' win, so there you go.
04:38Ed Ingram, I think, is the guy.
04:41Boy, Ed Ingram and Sheldon Rankins are interesting.
04:44I think that I really hate to talk about hometown discounts in free agency because it so rarely
04:50actually happens.
04:51I do wonder if Sheldon Rankins at least is going to be giving the Texans a hometown.
04:58Yeah, I'd rather.
05:00It doesn't have to be a hefty one or anything, but if he's got several similar deals, I would
05:05expect Sheldon Rankins seems to really like it in Houston.
05:09This scheme and this coaching staff seems to be good for Sheldon Rankins.
05:12Yeah.
05:12So, I think they'll be able to retain him as long as he doesn't get kind of an unreasonable
05:18offer from somewhere else.
05:20Ed Ingram's the big one.
05:21I guess the Texans have to ask themselves the same thing a lot of other teams are going
05:26to be asking.
05:27All right, Ed Ingram had his best year as a pro.
05:31He was very steady.
05:33I thought he was good.
05:34I know he had some really rough snaps or reps at times in one-on-one pass protection, but
05:39Ed Ingram is the least of my concerns on the interior three there on the offensive line.
05:44If you lose Ed Ingram, you've got to, really, I'm still looking for three solid offensive linemen
05:49somewhere.
05:50So, I'd really like them to retain Ed Ingram.
05:53The question is, how much over $10 or $11 million per year is it going to be?
05:58Yeah.
05:59Is another team out there going to say, oh, yep, that's the best version of Ed Ingram and
06:02that's who he's going to be?
06:04And likewise with the Texans.
06:05All right, was this a flash in the pan?
06:06Or did we just kind of get him before other teams?
06:10I don't know.
06:11Is it worth giving Ed Ingram a multi-year deal at $10 million a year?
06:15They say three years, $30 million.
06:18Is that worth more?
06:19And the knowledge of what you hope to get, again, from Ed Ingram, there's some predictability
06:24with him because you know what he looks like on this team, in this scheme, in that locker
06:28room.
06:28You've gotten to know what he's about behind the scenes, which is very important to the
06:32Houston Texans.
06:33What is the work ethic and whatnot?
06:34Is that a better solution, given your other needs and these huge contracts are going to
06:39be given out soon to other guys?
06:40Yeah.
06:41Is that a better solution than going and finding the next Ed Ingram?
06:43I think having Ed Ingram, having that bird in the hand allows you to keep the other hand
06:50free to throw rocks at a free agent center or a draft pick center and left guard, likewise.
06:58I would pay him whatever the going rate is.
07:02And then you can still either be aggressive in free agency for another guy or be aggressive
07:07in the drafts with offensive linemen.
07:08Maybe one of those younger guys does develop this year with a second year with Cole Popovich
07:13full time.
07:14But it takes it to a two-person question instead of a three-person question.
07:21The interior offensive line doesn't sound like a big deal.
07:24I mean, it's 60% of your offensive line.
07:26Yep.
07:26And you can wipe out one of those concerns, even if you have to overpay a little bit.
07:32You know who he is and what he can do for you.
07:35So if you do that, so let's pretend the Texans do that, like two days into free agency, or
07:39maybe they do it before.
07:40Maybe Ed Ingram doesn't hit the market.
07:42I'd hit the market if I were Ed Ingram, because some team might get cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.
07:46You never know.
07:46But if you do re-sign him then, so you're locked in at left tackle with Ariante Urshory.
07:51You're locked in at right guard with Ed Ingram.
07:53And I guess you're locked in with Titus Howard somewhere, either at left guard or right tackle.
08:00You know, Titus' ability to play both of those gives you some flexibility as to how you approach
08:05filling those spots.
08:07You know, tackle's going to be a little bit more expensive to fill in free agency.
08:12Tackle's going to be expensive to fill, but also...
08:14And you're already paying Titus a lot of money.
08:16You know, the one thing about the Texans and their swing tackle is, if there's two guys,
08:21George Fant and Trent Brown, who in the last four or five years have been the swing tackle
08:26for the Texans, they were aging guys that weren't really talented.
08:31The Texans signed them to one-year deals, and they ended up giving you pretty good production.
08:37Yeah.
08:37So without even talking about Blake Fisher and whether he can develop or not, I think that
08:42they can, I trust that they'll have somebody adequate at right tackle, and if Titus Howard
08:49can't be the right tackle.
08:51But I also don't, I don't like Titus Howard playing guard.
08:54He does good things for the offense, and he stabilizes things, but it's not his natural
08:59position.
09:00At some point, I'd like to get an actual left...
09:02I would at some point like to stop that left guard position from being a, hey, let's see
09:10if it takes Kenyon Green another season to figure it out and stay healthy.
09:14Sure.
09:14Oh, no, you know what?
09:16Lake and Tomlinson and Drew Scruggs competition, that's what we're in for.
09:19That's what we need.
09:20Okay.
09:20I just have, give me some kind of stability at that spot.
09:23Okay, well, you're not going to like, then, what, if we continue to scroll up this list
09:28here, they have the Texans making one more signing.
09:32They've got them re-signing Sheldon Rankins.
09:34We like that.
09:34Re-signing Ed Ingram.
09:36Sounds like at the right price.
09:37We like that.
09:38The 25th rated free agent on this list is Braden Smith, tackle from the Indianapolis
09:44Colts, and they have Braden Smith signing with the Houston Texans.
09:48Here's what they say.
09:49Eight years and 105 career starts in Indianapolis.
09:52Smith just finished a four-year, $70 million deal.
09:55Third contracts are rarely as lucrative as second deals are, and Smith has missed 16 games over
10:00the last three years, so durability is a concern.
10:02If he's still drawing $12 million a year or more, the Colts could turn to Jalen Travis,
10:08their fourth-round pick.
10:09So, this paragraph is more about the impact on the Colts than the Texans.
10:12It sounds like a fat Christian Kirk.
10:14Well, if they're signing Braden Smith, it's to play right tackle, obviously.
10:18Yeah.
10:18Yeah.
10:18And so, that would mean Titus Howard is your left guard.
10:21And if that is, I mean, if that's the case, then Titus Howard is still the best option at
10:25left guard.
10:25And then you still have some of that versatility.
10:28I wouldn't be, I get really nervous about anybody that's got injury concerns signing
10:33the three-and-seed.
10:33Yeah, 15 games over the last three years is a lot.
10:35You know, was that over the, that's one of those things where, okay, if 14 of those games
10:39were one injury or something, I haven't looked at his game.
10:41And the nature of the injury matters, too.
10:43You know, like, if he got an ankle rolled or something like that, everybody's getting,
10:46it's when it starts to be just, the injuries where, like, he pops up on the injury report,
10:51you know, with a, a quad or a hamstring or a shoulder or a knee, you know, just when
10:56things are starting to break down a little bit, you know, all right, pain and Pendergast
11:00with you, uh, just doing a little free agency shopping.
11:02That was fun.
11:03Um, all right.
11:04Um, up next, uh, quick Olympic thing and be what?
11:10Yeah.
11:10I'm just looking over the last three years and it's one of those things where, yeah, it's,
11:14he's consistently getting injured over the course of the last three years, four games,
11:18six games, five games.
11:19Yeah.
11:20Like he's playing, he played one, he played, uh, you know, he missed a big chunk of games
11:25in the middle of 2023.
11:27Then he missed, uh, he was, he missed weeks 13 till the end of the season in 2024.
11:34And then he didn't play after week 14 in 2025.
11:38I'll be honest.
11:39I'm not wild about the Braden Smith solution.
11:41He's got three major injuries or three significant injuries in three seasons.
11:45Yeah.
11:45I'm just, I'm not crazy about it.
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