HOUSTON — Of the 13 veterans who have signed with other teams, the only players the Houston Texans made an offer to keep were defensive end Antonio Smith and safety Danieal Manning.
The Texans invited Smith to return and come off the bench in passing situations, but Oakland offered him more than $4 million to start.
They asked Manning to take a pay reduction, and when he refused, they released him, and he signed with Cincinnati.
Letting players like Smith, Manning, nose tackle Earl Mitchell, inside linebacker Joe Mays and tight end Owen Daniels leave has left a lot of starting positions available in Bill O’Brien’s first season as head coach.
Not to mention valuable reserves like running back Ben Tate, cornerback Brice McCain, outside linebacker Bryan Braman, inside linebacker Darryl Sharpton and defensive end Terrell McClain.
And don’t forget quarterback Matt Schaub was traded to Oakland for a sixth-round draft choice.
If O’Brien and his new staff had wanted to retain some of the players who left, general manager Rick Smith could have re-signed them. The salary cap wasn’t an issue.
O’Brien and his assistants are ready to go in a new direction with different philosophies on offense and defense.
The only significant free agent the Texans re-signed was tight end Garrett Graham, who replaces Daniels as the starter.
As the Texans’ general manager, Smith’s philosophy has been to not spend heavily in free agency. The Texans prefer to sign lunch-pail free agents – inexpensive and unselfish – and build through the draft.
They’ve signed six free agents: quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, free safety Kendrick Lewis, strong safety Chris Clemons, running back Andre Brown, defensive lineman Ricardo Mathews and nose tackle Jerrell Powe.
Fitzpatrick should be the starter until a rookie is ready to replace him. Clemons and Lewis could start.
In the draft, the Texans need a quarterback, pass rusher, right offensive tackle, nose tackle, right defensive end, left guard, running back and a tight end who can block.
They have 11 picks, including the first overall selection. If they take defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, they’ll have to find a quarterback in the second round.
If they choose a quarterback like Johnny Manziel or Blake Bortles, they’ll have to find a pass rusher in the second round.
Before the draft ends, expect them to add depth at corner and find a receiver with a lot of speed, one who can play outside or inside.
