The Houston Texans will have massive turnover on their roster — such is the case when a team signs almost two-thirds of its roster to one-year contracts.
The Texans got tremendous production out of linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, who led Houston with 108 combined tackles and 13 tackles for loss. Whether the Texans decide to move on from Grugier-Hill or complement him with another tackling machine, there is a free agent Houston should consider.
According to Brad Spielberger from Pro Football Focus, the one free agent the Texans should target in the offseason is Atlanta Falcons linebacker Foyesade Oluokun.
Oluokun set an NFL record with 192 combined tackles in 2021, and even with a 17th regular-season game helping his cause, averaging over 11 tackles/assisted tackles per contest is a remarkable feat of consistency and durability. He can also get after the opposing quarterback on the occasional pass-rush snap, with 36 pressures over the past two seasons. The former Yale Bulldog can be an every-down leader on this defense and wear the green dot — perhaps with general manager Nick Caserio calling the plays directly into his headset.
Part of the process for Caserio is to determine who among their current free agents will be able to stay in 2022.
“We have 31, 32 players that will be free agents so there will be a lot of new players that are going to be on the team next year,” Caserio told reporters on Jan. 14. “Some players that aren’t under contract for next year that played here last season that we’re going to have conversations with, with the hope of trying to bring them back into our program and help us moving forward.”
The Texans play the Dallas Cowboys in 2022 at AT&T Stadium. Oluokun has a penchant for causing fellow St. Louis John Burroughs High School alumnus Ezekiel Elliott to put the ball on the carpet.
Through his 64 games with the Falcons, Oluokun, a 2018 sixth-round pick, collected 462 combined tackles, 5.0 sacks, seven forced fumbles, five interceptions, 11 pass breakups, and a fumble recovery.
