The Houston Texans opened the offseason with an exciting young duo of Tank Dell and Nico Collins at wide receiver before adding All-Pro Stefon Diggs from the Buffalo Bills in a trade on April 3.
General manager Nick Caserio has now added Ben Skowronek from the Los Angeles Rams, according to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero on Thursday, May 9.
According to the Rams’ official X account, L.A. sent Skowronek and a 2026 7th-round pick in exchange for Houston’s 2026 6th-round pick.
Skowronek, who will turn 27 in June, is entering the final year of the rookie contract signed after being selected by the Rams in Round 7 of the 2021 draft out of Notre Dame.
As a rookie in 2021, Skowronek was a member of the Super Bowl-winning Rams team, playing a then-career-high 46 snaps after O’dell Beckham Jr. tore his ACL and left the 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the second quarter.
What Ben Skowronek Brings to the Texans
Listed at 6-foot-3, 224 pounds, Skowronek is a big-bodied receiver who struggled to see the field in Los Angeles. That should not come as a surprise, given the presence of Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell on the roster of the Rams roster.
Add in the Rams’ use of a sixth-round pick on wide receiver Jordan Whittington out of Texas in the draft this offseason, and the route to playing time for Skowronek in Los Angeles for the 2024 season is certainly uncertain.
However, while Skowronek might have had trouble finding snaps for the Rams, he can address some of the special teams snaps Houston lost in free agency, while providing depth at wide receiver.
Also, Skowronek occasionally lined up at both fullback and tight end during his time with the Rams, according to Pro Football Focus. Neither of those are positions of immediate need for the Texans, with Dalton Schultz and Andrew Beck solidly in place, but it never hurts to add positional flexibility to keep a defense on its toes.
This has not gone unnoticed by fans and observers, many of whom quickly took to social media to share their opinions on Skowronek’s fit with the Texans, first as a receiver.
Ben Skowronek is a perfect fit in Bobby Slowik’s West coast scheme
— Drew (@IndepthTexans) May 9, 2024
A WR/FB that does a lot of the dirty work
Writing is on the wall for a Robert Woods release…pic.twitter.com/ymEtUy95zs
And as a fullback as well.
A WR that can play at FB and block like this as well while catching out of I-Form
— Jacob (@Stroud4AllPro) May 9, 2024
For a team that uses a FB as much as the Texans it makes a lot of sense that they would want Ben Skowronek as a depth WR pic.twitter.com/ml572WJhZX
In addition, after three seasons playing in Sean McVay’s offense, it should not take long to learn the system used by Houston offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. Slowik and McVay both spent several seasons working under Kyle Shanahan, and both run very similar systems.
That should allow for a smooth and nearly seamless transition for Skowronek, with the biggest obstacle perhaps building chemistry with quarterback C.J. Stroud.
What this Trade Means for Other Texans Receivers
Collins, Dell and Diggs are the unquestioned front three in the receiver room for Houston, and the acquisition of Skowronek does nothing to change that. However, it could easily spell the end for Robert Woods as a member of the Texans.
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Woods turned 32 earlier this offseason, and is no longer the threat he once was. He has not recorded more than 556 receiving yards in a season since 2020, when he hauled in 90 passes for 936 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Add in a catch rate of 53.3% in 2023, the second lowest catch rate of his career and lowest since his rookie season in 2013, and the writing is on the wall for Woods.
In all probability, though, the final nail in the coffin for Woods is cost. Woods is set to carry a cap hit of $9.7 million for the 2024 season according to OverTheCap.com. That is a significant cap hit for a receiver who is likely no higher than fourth on the depth chart and contributes very little on special teams.
The Texans can save $4.95 million of cap space in 2024 by releasing Woods, and the question now seems more likely to be about when, rather than about if, the team will make the move.
