Texans Free Agency Reality Check: Big Names or Smart Signings? Caserio CAN’T Miss on the O-Line

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We may all need a reality check, for the Houston Texas do not spec big names, but expect

solid moves to get this team offensively over the hook, and what can Houston afford it

for your agency?

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If you're in a part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, where today I want to dive in, what

do Houston Texans can't afford to do in free agency?

A support to think about.

It's very important to think about something because we've seen Houston not properly assess

free agency in the roster before, and it really hurt in the following year.

And I was speaking about 2025, also Brock Hoffman, does he make sense for the Houston Texans

he was recently not tended by Dallas?

He's going to be a free agent, we'll see how that plans out for him, but does he present

some things that Houston Texans could benefit from, and also just looking at the expectations,

reality check.

Okay, it may not be a bunch of big names.

Houston does not have the money for the big names, they may have the money for a big name

in some of the signings, or for Houston, it makes a little bit more sense to just take

the money that has been created already a Super Bowl contending roster and spread it out

to feel multiple holes.

I'm your Texas credential media member in football analyst John Hickman.

This is at the time of this recording season, simply because I can put an episode out and

something that happened 15 minutes after that, trusted believe it happened so many times

before.

But with how things are lining up for Houston's free agency season, it feels like Houston

will take the cash created and spread it out to feel multiple holes.

Houston brings back Trent Brown, Austria is going to be the staple at left tackle.

Jake Andrews is also signed, but we've recognized before that Houston needs a change there at

the center spot.

So when we see teams have major free agencies, we typically see those teams that are operating

with 80, 100 million spending power, right?

That's not the Houston, Texas reality.

That was their reality a couple of seasons ago, no longer now.

And because Cicero has some of those major deals back then, like I mentioned, this is

a Super Bowl contending roster, but what's holding them back is obviously the office of

side of the ball.

Houston is built for the solid and strong signings, not overhauling.

You can't overhaul, but this salary kept the Houston ads and they're not in a position

to get into overhaul.

They don't need to overhaul just fill in here, fill in there, get your smile back to

a full state, right?

Plus for what I'm hearing, they really like this draft class.

Houston salary cap currently sits around $35 million and that could look better if they

choose to extend the Z's outside year, which I expect to happen at some point soon.

I think the deal when a Z's gets done mere week this week, once Houston can determine

the market in its fullness for certain positions and that extension will help Houston create

more salary cap for this year so they can attack that market.

And obviously we know that Monday, quote unquote, legal temper in period.

So they'll still be able to speak with players and do agents and that's also a new rule.

The NFL has granted.

I'm going to tell you guys close off today's segment.

But what's best for Houston is the question.

Looking at the center position of deals that were done this past weekend, Conor Montgomery,

he's off the board.

Sorry, guys.

He's back in Buffalo for a year deal, $52 million contract, $32 million in guarantee money with

an average annual of $13 million.

It also takes a phase to stay on the subject there for Buffalo, as we talk about more

government, be prepared to see teams retain their guys, which would absolutely shorten

the market, especially for good players at the office, on the office of a lot, which

do you see Texas need?

Also Tyler, be it this three year deal, $30 million, and so I think those two are good

indicators on the tier two, tier three money for their center spot, Houston could choose

from now moving forward.

I think that's okay.

Mays is a hot name, maybe the hottest for the Houston Texas here in H. Town, Brock

Hoffman, which we'll talk about, who I'll dive into in the next segment, Ethan Pontchick,

Cleveland Brown Center, who might be the best option for the available free agency, free

agents for the Cleveland Browns.

I've been saying it's the way from Cleveland Brown centers, but Cleveland Brown's office

appointment.

But if the Houston Texas need to upgrade at some point, and they got a pool from Cleveland

Brown or Ethan, maybe the best option.

So in terms of age, value, and also tone setting, Houston is not at an advantage this free

agency.

Now, I do want to add that McGovern returning back to Buffalo, this does leave David Edwards,

who is 28, still out there as a free agent.

He is expected, excuse me, he is expected to leave Buffalo.

The new NFL rule, which is why this free agent period is going to be very interesting for

the first time clubs may conduct one video or phone call maximum one hour with up to five

free agents, rather than communicating strictly through their agents like in the past.

So again, Monday could be a day where he's just talking with the players, will he lie,

will he lie about the system, or do you think the system, or how do you think you can

impact the system?

Okay, let's talk turkey, let's talk money, would you guys fill it over there, can we make

it work, then they'll figure out, okay, we need to, we may need to look at extending

the Z's and they'll get those numbers together so they can create an additional cap space.

But the reality is for Houston is, and I'll prepare yourself, we have a bunch of names

that we like, right?

We like this guy.

We like that guy.

We like, we like this guy with this semantics experience, and I get it, I really do.

The fact remains is, Houston ain't going to be able to get these guys at multiple spots.

So at the beginning of free agency, what was some of the conversations, how can Houston

upgrade, right?

And will we have those conversations, especially here, where there was a daily sort of

squash show, when we were have those conversations, we wouldn't name off players, you need aliens,

that's my God stands, go to, you need an alien, we'll name off for Kyle Pitts, we'll name

him a name off, David and Joke, we'll name off a lot of these guys, but the fact is,

they were names that were extremely interesting with the idea of Houston taking care of their

office of line first.

And now we look at Houston post-Title type of trade, they're missing four spots.

So Kyle Pitts would have never, and he's franchise tag now, a team could trade form, but I

think that Atlanta wants them back, but someone that was top tier, Titan's, and in many

ways, some of these top office of line that are available, what Houston's needs and majority

of their holes are offensively being on an office of line, expect for them to kind of,

in many ways, bargain hunt.

Now, that's not a bad thing too much if Houston hits on their guys, like I think a K-Maze

in the middle, that will allow for Houston to look at the guard market and say, do we need

an absolute starter or do we need somebody to prepare for who we're going to draft?

And that guard can be a liaison from when if he's not absolutely ready, once we go through

training camp, and for the last three or four seasons, every time you talk to a rookie

in their first training camp of Houston, even rookie OTAs and minicamps is hot, getting

used to the weather, things of that nature.

So you may look to view the guard market and say, for Houston, it may make sense to say

this, and listen, we may need to go ahead and get a lower tier guard, because we really

like two or three guys, we believe there will be available at 28 or from trade back at

35 in this year's draft, and get a veteran that can help smooth the transition.

Similar to, in some ways, last year would tie the time when it can't rob us in for

area to the earth street.

So expect for Houston to just be smart with their money, they're going to budget.

McIcerio has a spreadsheet where it's his budgeting spreadsheet, you got netflix, okay.

Also got my door dash account, okay, now right over here, I got my salary cap.

All right, and I got to pay for this, I got to pay for this this month, but we also

got to make sure that we have this one allocated for next season and beyond, okay, I got

to cut some things off.

The netflix man get cut off, but let's see, get the team pay for it, and maybe the door

dash, but what I'm getting that is, whenever you sit down at the table, my adults out

there, and you start to look at the money, you're like, where's my money going, where's

my money, have to go, you start to get some slim pickings because you know, this bill

is more important than this bill.

This utility is more important than this utility.

I can do it out this, I can't do it out this, and for the Texans, we were talking about

what they can't afford to happen, they can not afford to not go get themselves, they

damn good sinner.

It's K made a bus right now in a lot of ways, a lot of ways, unless they, I don't know,

they feel, they feel highly about some guys in this track, but I think K made it the way

to go right now for the Houston, Texas.

Now, Brock Hoffman, you can pay anywhere in an offensive line, would he make sense for

to use some Texas, more Texan talk on the other side.

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Getting back to some Texas talk, Brock Hoffman, excuse me, is likely to be viewed as a cost

effective signing, possibly landing on one year deal.

However, he's a very solid player, and then a significant reason why Dallas had this

successful run game, it had this season.

You know what I said, Brock Hoffman is likely viewed as a cost effective signing, possibly

landing one year deal.

That screams Nick Cousinio, it does in many ways.

But Hoffman 6305, versus the offensive lineman, as he's played in over 400 snaps and right

guard and center, with his best time in the league, maybe this past year at the center,

this is where he got a lot of snaps.

He comes from a system that wants to marry the run to the passing game, Dallas concepts,

utilize the blend of inside zone and gap style runs and also heavy power running.

So I look at Houston, right, and I look at the Texans current running backs.

How can Hoffman come in and help these guys and do what needs to be done.

You guys have heard me talk about, he on the show, why I have always thought Woody

Marx would be a great quote, quote, RB2 in his league.

And depending on how the year goes, right, if they split back, just when I'm simply getting

that is, for Woody Marx to be a true successful runner back in the NFL, and for him to leave

his mark on his game, what he did in moments last year, I don't view him as a RB1, but

I view him as a runner back that you're looking up five years down the line.

He like, I didn't know he rushed for 4,000 total yards and also had has 1,200 receiving

yards.

And I didn't know they teams trusting him up third down because he's a great running

back to pick up misses and stuff, or whatever.

The pressure that is coming in on some of those thrown downs.

I think he can be a very good back in his league.

That's it.

Let's look at David Montgomery, 100 zone runs compared to 56 gap runs in 2025.

Let's look at Woody Marx, 101 zone runs compared to 122 gap runs in 2025.

We're going to see the Houston Texans have changes of pace at backs.

We're going to see the Houston Texans have a split back field.

We're going to see them do that.

You don't trade for David Montgomery if you didn't feel like Montgomery wouldn't add

to your running game and it wouldn't take away from what your fate is currently in Woody

Marx.

Brock Hoffman, what I'm getting at is, is a center that some of the things that worked

out for Woody Marx last year in terms of the gap runs, they're familiar with it.

David Montgomery, they're familiar with the zone runs.

Hoffman in many ways would be in theory the engine for Houston's ability to not have

limitations in their run game due to poor blocking from the center spot.

Zone blocking for a center is a tough challenge.

It's a very tough challenge and so Hoffman having that experience, I think that's a plus

in many ways.

Hoffman has been labeled as edgy, tough plays with a chip on his shoulder.

He searches for the pancake or the nasty blocks and he's cut down on penalties five and

twenty four, five and twenty four, two and twenty five.

Also he loves engaging the engaging battle in the trenches.

Once he gets the hold of you, there's moments where you just see him standing gauge with

a defender until the Wilson.

Maybe one of his best abilities in the past blocking, maybe one of his best abilities

in the past blocking game is his ability to recover and he's always looking to drive an

opponent.

So he'll get his hands inside the body of the defender and he's looking to drive on those

run opportunities.

He does have author's game, like everybody, every office of lawman ain't going to be

lary out into somebody like that, but he's too slow at times.

Whether that's his immediate one on one blocking or a climate to the next level in past

pro, his recovery helps, but in run blocking, when he's too slow to get to where he needs

to be, it's not much helping.

And it felt like Javante Williams got easier opportunities from the center of that office

of one on one out when Chad BB was in that center.

That's what it felt like.

So not taking away from Hoffman, but Chad just looked like he was the better player at

center.

And it showed what Javante was out there.

Some of Hoffman's best work came in 2024 when he was featured mostly at guard and center.

So you look at a player that that versatile word that we need to always, that needs to

be a buzzword.

You have versatile, keep the Texans in mind, right?

You have versatile, the Texans are somewhere close by.

But because of his versatility, right, I look at the synagogue spot being a need of

Houston similar to how the tackle guard spot was not a need before tightest hour moved

on.

So what Hoffman is he at the level of tightest hour, that's not what I'm saying, but he would

serve a purpose for being able to play and have the versatility to play both center and

guard.

So you lose one player that can make up for two spots.

You could gain one player that can make up for two spots.

That's what I'm getting there.

But he was well liked in the building and about a fan base and Dallas, and I think he can

be an upgrade over Andrews.

I don't think the jump would be huge or significant.

I think what we would see on the field would be minor, but he would definitely be an upgrade

based on experience alone.

So for Houston, what absolutely kept happened during free agencies, stick around for more

Texans talk.

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opportunity for more Texans fans like modern or not to connect and talk about this team

that could very well be playing for a long party in a couple of years if they do what

they need to do.

And what that conversation of what does the Texans need to do, let's talk about what

cannot happen for the Houston Texans.

So you know last year Cicero came out arrogantly came out my not add and dismissed the offensive

line issues and he recently said something along the lines of the tape that he watched

for the offensive line so improvements and it didn't it didn't in many ways, but let's

not forget they can Thomas in that project, the can Robinson project, the city so appearance

Cicero must operate with a sense of urgency like his job depends on it.

He has to.

There's nowhere around it.

And when I say a sense of urgency, if you know that there's possibly a team that could

be outbiting for the guy that they may feel could unlock the offensive line, don't let

that don't let that play a nice on Houston, they got to figure it out again.

This is why I believe we're waiting, we're going to wait to see the disease extension.

They're going to let day one kind of dictate the market.

If Houston has a major signing on Monday, I don't want to say I'll take a shot.

I may buy somebody lunch, that's what I'll do, if you use the size of a big name player

on Monday, I'll buy somebody lunch, who sees this?

We cannot forget about those projects from last year and those projects in hindsight

and when it happened, screen panic can't have that no more.

Miss judging the online during this free agent cycle would be a grave mistake.

Houston cannot afford that.

Hey, listen, Houston should have a plan at tight end.

The plan starts Monday.

I like the idea of adding Charlie Kohler.

He was actually a guy that I love coming out of college and other events will be available.

Houston has to upgrade that room and Paley will have his say on who he likes that isn't

a Texan.

He'll have his say on who he believes in that in a free agent's currently.

He'll also have a say so and do the same thing for the current Texans in that tiny amount.

This is a notice.

This is absolutely a notice because the thing about the running game, the offensive line had

his issues and miscommunications in 2025, but so did the tiny end group.

So some guys are going to come in.

Houston needs to have some guys to come in so they can push some guys out.

It's just the fact that it matters some business, no disrespect to any of those players.

I'd also wouldn't be mad at a three year deal or work 32 million for a sale like an either.

Wouldn't be mad at that.

Maybe 32 is a little high for a tight end that has never broken 700 yards in a single season.

I completely understand that.

But he could be a guy who some may have to overpay for it.

Isaiah likely is immensely talented.

Unless they feel like what they can get out of Isaiah likely is available in the draft.

But again, once Monday gets here, they have to have a plan that makes sense to upgrade

that offensive line room and also not forget about the tiny spot.

No matter what, it's important that Houston doesn't come out of their free agent period

needing the draft to save them during the season.

If we leave Houston's free agent period and we're still looking at major holes

because the hotter names or like we've seen before, the names where Houston was also in on a

signing, but it came down to the ninth hour and the team chose the player chose another team.

Right, we've seen it with Ciquan when they have to pivot to Joe mixing and worked out for one year outside of that.

Okay, Ciquan still would have had a decent season to mix and then play.

But what I'm getting at is he used to can't afford too many of those.

I cannot use the can't go to that draft needing a draft to save them because if they do,

that's going to be bad.

That's just going to be bad.

That's why our center is such an important position to feel during free agency because I don't want to wait until the draft

and hope Houston hits on the center, stride needs a vet to man the middle of that line.

And they rookie or inexperienced player will be detrimental.

And I was saying the same for left guard in many ways a vet alongside

nursery would be helpful to his growth when we can't wait to the draft to finalize the major spots.

Can't be can't be too many holes next to each other.

So Monday is going to be what kicks it off.

It's going to be fun Monday.

Again, we may see the Houston Texas because Monday is typically where the deals are starting to get

announced and follows won't become official until Wednesday.

I wouldn't expect for Houston to be too crazy on Monday at the time of this recording

Sunday afternoon.

We'll see.

And we can be shocked by what Nick Costario a company does.

And I don't want to be shocked by the way like we when we're talking about

the cereal sometimes it's always in a sense of predictability.

Think about it.

We talk about we talk about what the Houston Texas front office staff do.

And sometimes the first thing we'll say or something in the conversation,

well, we got to think about what the Houston Texas have done before.

This is typically what Nick Costario will do.

Keep Costario in mind because history points to A B and C.

So I would love for Costario to just shock the head out of us on Monday.

I don't think he will.

But I've said it.

If the Texas sign a big name, whoever hears this.

And if I get multiple people, I'll put your name in a hat.

I bought somebody lunch this week if Houston comes out on Monday with a bang.

You can quote me on that one.

Thank you all for watching today's episode.

Please be sure to subscribe, like and comment on YouTube.

And wherever you listen to your podcast, follow me on Twitter and

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The two wires at the end.

Until next time ladies and gents of Texas fans across the nation.

Peace!

We got free agency.