Despite trading DeAndre Hopkins, the Texans entered the season with a bloated wide receiver payroll. They are now 1-6 and between GMs, leading teams to inquire about some of their players.
Teams have contacted the Texans about their wide receivers, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, who notes the team has fielded calls on Will Fuller and Randall Cobb (Twitter link).
The trade deadline looms Nov. 3, though teams who would like to deploy their new players in Week 9 would need to make deals this week in order for them to begin practicing ahead of those games. COVID-19 testing protocols require players to pass six tests — each a day apart — before practicing with new teams.
Fuller and Cobb represent half of Houston’s veteran receiving corps, which also includes 2020 trade acquisition Brandin Cooks and 2019 trade get Kenny Stills. Fuller, who is playing on a $10.16MM fifth-year option salary, would bring far more value back to the Texans in a deal than a Cobb swap would. The then-Bill O’Brien-run Texans signed Cobb to a three-year, $27MM deal in March. Shipping out the 30-year-old slot receiver would not bring especially notable compensation, and Wilson adds the Texans are not receiving strong offers for either player as of Wednesday afternoon.
Houston having dealt Hopkins would seemingly make a Fuller trade less likely. He has emerged as Deshaun Watson‘s top target, hauling in 31 passes for a team-high 490 yards and five touchdowns. Although the former first-round pick is a free agent at year’s end and has been unable to stay healthy for most of his career, the Texans do not have any surefire building blocks at this position for Watson moving forward. Cooks would qualify, but the O’Brien acquisition is on his fourth team. Cooks, 27, has also come up in trade talks. While the Texans appear ready to deal one of their veteran wideouts, it is unclear as of now which one will go.
Will fuller to Cleveland browns
That’s never happening
If the Texans are smart, they hold onto Fuller unless someone is dumb enough to trade a 1. If someone is offering any value for Cobb, take it. A 4 is a steal for a guy who has no future there.
They wont sniff a 4th for Cobb with that contract. More like a 7th.
Nobody is offering anything close to a 1 for half a year of Fuller.
I smell a Cobb-Green Bay reunion on the horizon
As much as I’d like to see this happen, Cobb doesn’t fit the type of slot receiver they prefer in LeFleur’s offense. They prefer a bigger slot guy like a Mohamed Sanu type which is why they signed Seth Roberts this week. Roberts isn’t real big, but he’s a bit bigger than your average slot receiver. For the right price is love to see them bring in Fuller, Rodgers hasn’t had a legit deep threat in nearly a decade. I wouldn’t even mind seeing them offer a 6th or 7th rounder for Kenny Stills.
I would shop Stills instead of Cobb. The compensation for a Cobb trade will be so negligible that you may as well just hold onto him and see if Watson can maintain chemistry for next season.
Stills is going to be a free agent and has been surpassed by Cooks on the depth chart. He has more upside than Cobb and would be more sensible for a team like Green Bay IMO
Stills has less trade value than Cobb.
Sure, but how much less? Is Cobb really going to get you more than a sixth round pick? You may as well try to extract some value from his ability as a pass-catcher and trade Stills, even if he only nets you a seventh rounder. The difference between a sixth and seventh rounder really isn’t enough to move the needle IMO
Why would you give anything to take on a contract that should be released. I don’t understand it I would think Cobb has negative value
I’d love to see Fuller in Green and Gold – he would be a far superior version of MVS. But anything more than a 3rd for a 1/2 year rental is a non-starter.
Cobb is laughable – HOU will have to cut him if they want him gone. That contract is B-A-D.
I’d take Stills too. Cooks… on that contract… eh.
With you 100% Bearmeat. People commenting seem to forget the all important performance vs contract. These BO signed receivers have negative value if I was GM you’d have to ship me a pick better than the one I sent you for me to even take on the contract. That Hopkins deal was one of the worst trades I’ve seen and any arm chair gm knew it from the moment it was announced. They had to take on David Johnson’s deal to trade one of the best WR’s in the game? Wow!!! Poor Texans fans will be feeling the affects of BO for years to come.