HOUSTON — The Houston Texans are in a precarious spot heading into the trade deadline especially after losing wide receiver Will Fuller for the season with a torn ACL.
Fuller’s vertical presence opened up much of the offense and in the only game this season he was not on the field, quarterback Deshaun Watson had a season low of 5.2 yards per attempt.
Now without Fuller, the Texans have to find ways to balance out their offense and continue their five-game win streak. Coach Bill O’Brien is not down playing the loss of Fuller, but he understands the nature of the NFL.
“Everyone is dealing with injuries.” O’Brien said in his Monday press conference.
With O’Brien’s relationship with general manager Brian Gaine, there is a balance between the two that he appreciates when it comes to dealing with the roster.
“It is huge.” O’Brien said of his partnership with Gaine when looking at the roster day-to-day.
“You’re talking every day on the phone with each other.” O’Brien said of Gaine. “A lot of face to face, a lot of phone conversations, texts. It is comfortable. The whole thing is just about communication.”
The names of potential available wide receivers have started to leak out with Demaryius Thomas (Denver) and Pierre Garcon (San Francisco) on the trade block while DeSean Jackson (Tampa Bay) asked his team to deal him before the trade deadline on Tuesday.
The Texans have a chance to find help via the trade market or possibly a free agent. Free agent wide receiver Brice Brown worked out for the Texans last week, but the team has not moved to complete a deal. The Texans continue to call around the NFL seeking potential, low cost fits for their roster but that is all it is at the moment, talk.
“I think there is always a chance. I think that Brian and his crew are working really hard.” O’Brien said of a potential trade. “Just like every team in the league, relative to the trade deadline, there is a lot of talking and not a lot of action, but you never know.”
The Texans will make a move to fill the void Fuller has left in their wide receiver group by Wednesday at the latest. They have to find a wide receiver option that helps balance out the field to take pressure off DeAndre Hopkins and open other facets of the offense to keep Watson growing as a quarterback.
The NFL trade deadline is 4 p.m. eastern on October 30th.
–QB DeShaun Watson was 16 of 20 for 239 yards and five touchdowns in Thursday’s win over the Dolphins.
–RB Lamar Miller carried 18 times for 133 yards and a touchdown in Thursday’s win over the Dolphins.
–WR Keke Coutee will be evaluated as the week continues. Coutee is nursing a hamstring injury, one he has been dealing with since training camp.
–ILB Peter Kalambayi has a chance to get back to the team this week. He suffered a concussion on a late hit by a Miami Dolphins lineman to his head after making a tackle. Kalambayi has been a bright spot for the Texans special teams.
–ILB Brian Peters is close to returning to the team after injuring his ankle in week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts.
