The Houston Texans have been no stranger to offseason trades this spring.
They completed three big ones in short succession in the first wave of free agency: first for running back Joe Mixon, then by trading away defensive tackle Maliek Collins and finally by trading out the first round with the Minnesota Vikings.
Another NFL analyst thinks Houston could make another. The 33rd Team’s Dan Pizzuta wrote that Houston could be a destination if the Carolina Panthers trade defensive tackle Derrick Brown. The former 2020 No. 7 overall pick made his first Pro Bowl in 2023 with two sacks and 15 quarterback hits. He has eight sacks for his career.
Defensive tackle is an obvious need for the Texans in 2024. Collins and Sheldon Rankins — the team’s two 2023 starters — are both gone and Houston hasn’t found any true starter replacements yet. The 2024 draft is an option, but the Texans won’t pick until the No. 42 selection.
Brown would be a quality stop-gap option for the Texans if this is the route they go down. He’s known as a quality run-stuffer who’s in the final year of his rookie deal and a fifth-year option would cost a team $11.7 million in guaranteed salary. The Panthers have a brand new coaching staff in place who may not need Brown, either.
The cost to acquire Brown might not be very high, either, if the Panthers are looking to get rid of him. He isn’t the most productive defensive tackle out there, but his youth (he’ll be 26 in April), size (6-foot-5, 320 pounds) and potential are there for the taking. The Texans already signed two other former 2020 first-rounders in cornerbacks C.J. Henderson and Jeff Okudah. Why not grab a third?