The Texans have been among the most active in the trade market this offseason.
Houston traded for two offensive starters in running back Joe Mixon and receiver Stefon Diggs, added another receiver in Ben Skowronek and traded away veteran defensive tackle Maliek Collins. While general manager Nick Caserio might be done with major moves, one ESPN analyst thinks Houston should strike another deal.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell wrote Tuesday that the Texans should trade veteran wide receiver Robert Woods to the Lions for a Day 3 pick swap — much like they received in the Skowronek deal with the Rams.
The reasons are simple: Cap relief for Houston, a veteran wideout for Detroit and a bigger role for Woods. The Texans have too many wide receivers right now to give Woods any consistent snaps, and trading him would save the team $6.4 million and cost just $3.25 million in dead cap hit. Woods also has a relationship with Lions general manager Brad Holmes, who was with Los Angeles when Woods played for the Rams.
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Here's what Barnwell had to say about the potential trade:
The Texans are absolutely stacked at wide receiver. New addition Stefon Diggs is going to join incumbents Nico Collins and Tank Dell in the starting lineup, giving C.J. Stroud a three-man core that can compete with any other trio in football. Behind them, Houston has John Metchie, a player it traded up to acquire in the second round of the 2022 draft. Metchie missed all of his rookie season after a leukemia diagnosis and wasn't able to carve out a regular role last season, but he should be closer to 100% in 2024. GM Nick Caserio also brought back Noah Brown, who had a pair games with 150-plus yards last season, and he just traded with the Rams to acquire versatile pass-catcher Ben Skowronek, who saw regular snaps in multiple spots across the formation for L.A.
The odd man out is likely going to be Woods, who doesn't play much on special teams and has a $6.3 million base salary this year. Only $1.3 million of that figure is guaranteed, but the Texans likely will release Woods if he doesn't take a pay cut for the remaining amount or retire. The 32-year-old is still an effective blocker and a good teammate, but he hasn't been as productive after tearing his ACL with the Rams in the middle of the 2021 campaign. He was averaging 1.8 yards per route run that season, but he dropped off to 1.2 YPRR with the Titans in 2022 and 1.1 with the Texans in 2023.
The Texans should move on from Woods one way or another. Diggs, Collins and Dell are the starting trio of receivers with Metchie, Brown and Skowronek as the support staff. Six wide receivers on one team is already a lot to manage, and that's even before Woods is in the picture.
While it's tough to lose a veteran presence like Woods for the young Texans team, sometimes business must come first. Diggs is just as experienced and certainly a better overall player than Woods as well. It's a win-win-win for all three sides, but it takes both teams to agree on a deal before anything can be decided.
