The Houston Texans are coming into 2015 after having a bounce back season and this offseason they could look at a Cameron Jordan trade as an option after the injury to Jadeveon Clowney and this comes as Bill O'Brien has Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer battling to start at quarterback for Arian Foster and DeAndre Hopkins.
The Texans opted to keep Ryan Mallett after trading for him last season and they also signed Brian Hoyer to a contract. Both players are expected to compete to start this season for the Texans, but Pro Football Talk reports that Hoyer likely has the edge. PFT writes that the contracts the two players signed is telling for who should end up getting the nod in 2015, as Hoyer has a two-year, $10.5 million deal with $4.75 million fully guaranteed.
Hoyer was the starter at the beginning of the season with the Browns and he ended up getting benched for Johnny Manziel after a bad run of games. The team started off 7-4 but ended up losing the last five games of the season. Hoyer came back and eventually got injured and the Browns opted to move on, signing Josh McCown to be their new starter. Mallett returned to the Texans on a two year deal and he will get the chance to compete with Hoyer to start. Ryan Fitzpatrick was traded to the Jets after those deals got done.
The Texans won just two games in 2013 and had the first overall pick in the draft and they opted to take Clowney, who did not have a real rookie season while dealing with injuries. Clowney came out of college with injury issues and while the Texans think that he can come back from micro fracture surgery, it is a serious procedure and many players have had issues later in their careers after coming back. Clowney is just starting his career and the Texans are hoping he can now stay healthy.
John McClain at the Houston Chronicle suggested that the Texans could look at a trade for Cameron Jordan with the Saints, as reports have him on the trading block. Peter King at the MMQB reports that the Saints are talking with Jordan about a new contract, but if a deal doesn't get done, the team may look at trading him. The Raiders could be a potential landing spot, while the Texans could look at Jordan as insurance if Clowney can't bounce back.
TFY Draft Insider reported earlier in the offseason that there is "serious concern" about Clowney's knee following surgery. While Clowney has said to the media that he has not had any setbacks in his recovery, he could be a completely different player once he gets back on the field. Clowney was explosive in college, but he may lose some of that post-surgery. Clowney played in four games and had just seven tackles last season. Jordan has been consistent over the past couple seasons, with 20 sacks over the last two years, including 12.5 in 2013.
