This offseason, the Houston Texans will have to find a new quarterback, mull over Arian Foster‘s future, and get DeAndre Hopkins a better partner, perhaps by cutting Cecil Shorts III if they really feel like pinching pennies (Nate Washington is an impending free agent).
There’s no shortage of things to do for the Houston Texans this offseason, mostly on the offensive side of the ball, but when it comes to their own impending free agents, only one player can be considered a priority.
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Starting right guard Brandon Brooks was one of the biggest breakout stars at the position in the 2014 season, and he has fit the Texans zone-blocking scheme perfectly. Duane Brown and Derek Newton have given the Texans one of the league’s better offensive tackle duos over the past couple of seasons, but the same can’t yet be said about the Texans guard duo.
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In 2014, the Texans drafted left guard Xavier Su’a-Filo in the second round, but the player praised for his foot speed and athleticism as a draft prospect has been uneven through his first two seasons in the league.
Brooks’ play regressed from 2014 to 2015, but he was still clearly the Texans best interior offensive linemen, particularly in pass protection. Without him, the Texans passing game would have been even more anemic, because Brooks looks like one of the safest pass blockers at the guard position right now.
I’m not worried about the run blocking, since that has more to do with the overall talent the Texans have up front. So you can imagine that if the Texans aren’t able to retain Brooks, they would have precious little at guard or center if Jones also leaves, meaning that they would be adding another need on their roster on top of their needs at QB, WR, and, likely, RB.
Re-signing Brooks makes sense, and the Texans could sell him on points like scheme fit and the fact that he has a chance to continue playing for an ascending team. Set to be 27 when the 2016 regular season begins, the former third-round pick out of Miami(OH) is in the best years of his career, so I highly doubt he’s looking for a hometown discount. Even though he didn’t have his best contract year, he was still solid and should command a decent amount of coin on the market.
If the Baltimore Ravens are able to lock up elite guard Kelechi Osemele, and the San Francisco 49ers keep Alex Boone, then Brooks would be the best impending free agent guard by default. Richie Incognito and Evan Mathis are more touted guards, but the issue is that both players are far too old to command large contracts. Brooks isn’t going to roll in dough like Osemele will, but I could see him earning $6 million per year on a four-year contract. That’s how much money Ben Grubbs, Jahri Evans, and Zane Beadles make per year, and Brooks could secure more guaranteed money than those players.
As you can see above, guards generally aren’t paid a huge amount of money, so the investment would be a sound and important one for a team like the Texans that already has more than enough questions to answer this offseason, including on the line.
I could see Brooks earning less than $6 million per season, too, and it would be wise for the Texans to get something done with him. He’s no star, but he’s young, a quality starter, and a known commodity for this organization.
Jones is someone the Texans should keep and there is still hope for a third-year breakout from Su’a-Filo, but if the price is right, keeping Brooks should be a priority.
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That said, if his cost rises, perhaps due to the statuses of the other impending free agent guards, then it would be more difficult to justify re-signing him. Both Jones and Brooks were consistent options for the Texans this past season, so we will see how things shake out, though the latter of the two is considerably more valuable.
Remember, the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson reported before the season that the Texans had interest in locking up Brooks, and all that’s changed between then and now is that his expected price tag has decreased.