The Houston Texans could be big players in the free-agent running back market this offseason
The Texans have a glaring need at the position and a lot of salary cap space to work with this offseason. Head coach DeMeco Ryans also addressed the team’s desire to improve the ground game in his final press conference of the season
Oddsmakers believe Houston will make moves as well. DraftKings Sportsbook released next-team odds for some of the biggest free agents of the spring and picked the Texans as the second-favorite to sign Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs. Houston was also listed as the third-favorite to sign Derrick Henry.
2024 Next Team Odds just released from @DKSportsbook pic.twitter.com/u8Q1RG5feG
— 32BeatWriters (@32BeatWriters) February 6, 2024
All three players would be major upgrades for the running game, but they could also be costly.
Jacobs and Barkley should command at least $10 million annually after both signed one-year deals to return to their respective teams in 2023. Both had down years this past season, but have led the NFL in rushing yards in the past as well. Henry would be a little cheaper considering his age (he’s five years older than Jacobs and four years younger than Barkley) and his usage (more than 2,000 career carries vs. fewer than 1,350 for Jacobs and Barkley).
It’s not a lock that all three will even be available, though it appears likely after how the season ended. Jacobs had a contentious 2023 offseason with the Las Vegas Raiders, Henry said goodbye to Tennessee Titans fans after Week 18 and ESPN’s Jordan Raanan believes the New York Giants will let Barkley test free agency and won’t franchise tag him.
The Texans appear to be in the mix for all three, now it just depends on what general manager Nick Caserio wants to do with the backfield and with the salary cap. Dameon Pierce is also entering his third season, although he looked like a shell of his rookie self in his first season with Bobby Slowik running the offense. Devin Singletary looked solid, but is an impending free agent with a clear ceiling of effectiveness.
Houston has a lot of questions to answer this offseason.
