In a nice position heading into the 2024 NFL season, the Houston Texans are loaded at wide receiver and have a rising star quarterback in C.J. Stroud. The stacked wideout room gives the Texans a chance to consider trade candidates heading into training camp.
At the head of the list is veteran Robert Woods. Entering his 12th NFL season, Woods provides a dependable player — more of a backup role at this stage of his career.
Also on the trade-candidate list are receiver John Metchie and running back Dameon Pierce.
Texans might not have a place for WR Robert Woods
In the business world of the NFL, a player like Woods has different values for different teams. Since the Texans have Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Noah Brown as legitimate threats, Woods doesn’t offer as much value going into this season.
Packaging him in a trade would save the team $6.4 million, according to sportingnews.com. The 32-year-old Woods still has trade value because he’s efficient at something some receivers don’t like to do: block.
Basically Woods will battle Brown for a roster position. It doesn’t help Woods’ cause that Brown had two huge games last season, proving his value as a guy who can put up big numbers when injuries invariably hit. Certainly Woods owned that same potential back in the day. But a 2021 ACL injury seems to have capped his explosiveness.
Also, Brown is more versatile than Woods because he can play in the slot or outside. Furthermore, Brown authored a career-high 567 yards receiving in 2023. He’s on the upside while Woods seems to be trending down.
Another thing that makes a difference is what other teams might be seeking. The same reasons the Texans like Brown might match what an opponent wants to buy. However, NFL teams have long memories and Woods posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2018-19. That’s double anything Brown has ever done.
And Woods might be a better fit on a team with a younger and less experienced wideout room. With Diggs at the head of the Texans’ receiving group, veteran leadership is under control.
RB Dameon Pierce might not stick around
Sometimes a team has to bite a bullet, but if the Texans make a move to deal Dameon Pierce they’re putting a lot of faith in untested runners Dare Ogunbowale and Jawhar Jordon. That is unless they get a running back in return.
Houston brought one of the league’s best into the RB room when it acquired Joe Mixon. The seven-year veteran has rushed for over 1,000 yards four times in his career, including last season’s 1,034-yard performance that included nine touchdowns. There’s no doubt Mixon can carry the mail.
But even the best runners need a tag-team mate who doesn’t make the offense fall off a cliff. That may seem to be Pierce, who averaged 4.3 yards per carry as a rookie in 2022 and finished with 939 yards and four scores.
However, Pierce never got out of the gates last year. He managed only 416 yards on 145 attempts for a paltry 2.9 per attempt and he scored only twice.
Think about those numbers. For someone like Jordan to be as effective as Pierce, he would only need to average three yards per carry. That’s a low bar.
Maybe another NFL team will buy into the promise Pierce seemed to show in 2022. And maybe Houston’s front office is on the ball and snaps up the first quality backup running back that doesn’t survive some other team’s 53-man roster cut.
WR John Metchie at a crossroads
Of the three trade candidates for the Texans, Metchie is the biggest wild card. He hasn’t done much of anything in the NFL, but his abilities are intriguing enough to wonder if he can.
The Texans grabbed Metchie in the second round of the 2022 draft, even though his history included an ACL injury. Unfortunately, Metchie didn’t get a chance to play that season — not because of the knee injury but APL (Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia). Metchie recovered from the illness and played in 16 games in 2023, catching 16 passes for 158 yards.
One thing Metchie still has, and the thing that gives him trade value, is potential. He’s 5-11 and 187 pounds and will turn 24 years old this month.
He hasn’t been truly tested, but it seems certain his best football is ahead of him. There are reasons to believe he can be a valuable backup in the league.
Houston needs help on the offensive line, so any combination of trades that brings help to that position could make the Texans a viable AFC championship contender. Unfortunately, they can’t be called a Super Bowl contender because the Kansas City Chiefs have made that their personal tag for several years now.
