Houston Texans will not trade for Ryan Mallett
New England Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett (15) at the line of scrimmage against the New York Giants during the second quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
Multiple reports surfaced yesterday stating that the Houston Texans have some level of interest in acquiring New England Patriots backup quarterback Ryan Mallett, and this is definitely an interesting talking point. But it looks like nobody should expect (if anyone was in the first place) the Texans to trade for Mallett, as well-connected Houston Chronicle beat writer John McClain reports that the Texans will not trade for Mallett.
The Patriots are still high on Mallett, so it would take at least a second-round pick for anyone to trade for him as their starting quarterback. Mallett has intriguing tools and has worked in the Patriots system, but those are the only two things going for him. They are nice positives, but we just haven’t seen much from Mallett on the field; he didn’t exactly light things up during the preseason.
But Mallett-Texans talk became interesting, because trading for Mallett would allow the team to draft someone like Jadeveon Clowney with the first overall pick. It sounds great to have the flexibility to trade down or take Clowney, but it’s better to actually get a franchise quarterback. Is Mallett better than Teddy Bridgewater or Blake Bortles? I don’t think so, and I think the Texans should use their first overall pick on their biggest need and the most important position. Then they can use the 33rd overall pick to snag a talented player on defense.