Houston Texans: Is 2019 NFL Draft class to blame for Brian Gaine’s firing?
The Houston Texans stunned the NFL with general manager Brian Gaine being fired. How much of his dismissal is a result of a lackluster 2019 NFL Draft class?
It would be difficult to dispel optimism about the Houston Texans after their 2018 season, their one year under the direction of general manager Brian Gaine. Deshaun Watson and co. wrapped up the regular season with an 11-5 record, though they did get knocked out of the postseason in the Wild Card Round with a loss to the divisional rival Indianapolis Colts.
Coming off of that success, one would’ve assumed that the Texans were content to give Gaine, who was entering the second year of a five-year contract, at least another year to prove his merit. Thus, it was a bit shocking on Friday when Houston announced that they’d fired Gaine and named Senior Vice President of Football Administration, Chris Olsen, the interim GM.
All reports regarding Gaine’s firing seem to indicate that there was not one specific event that led to his dismissal. Rather, it was simply a change of direction that ownership wanted to take the franchise in. Having said that, it’s hard not to look at the top 2019 NFL Draft class of the Texans and think that it wasn’t a major factor in ownership’s decision.
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Looking at the Texans’ early-round picks in a vacuum, there are some concerns with what Houston did in the 2019 draft. With their first four selections, Houston took Tytus Howard (23rd), Lonnie Johnson Jr. (54th), Max Scharping (55th) and Kahale Warring (86th). Of that quartet, it’s not a stretch to say that only Warring in the third round was not a reach, which is a problem in itself.
Exacerbating the issue with the Texans’ draft class, though, is that they clearly identified the needs that were most pressing — offensive line and cornerback — and made it a point to address them. What Gaine seemingly failed to consider, however, was how to properly address the areas of weakness.
After their AFC South-winning campaign in 2018, the Texans aren’t in a position where they should be patiently waiting for project players to develop. Instead, they immediately needed offensive linemen to protect Watson, who was hurried far too much, and then secondary players to help improve their pass defense.
By reaching for the likes of Howard, Johnson and Scharping, though, Gaine and Houston instead took players that are difficult to feel comfortable in playing key roles at the start of their careers. Essentially, Gaine made a risky investment in the future of these players but did so for a team that should quite clearly be in win-now mode. That’s not a recipe for organizational success.
dark. Next. Grading each NFL team's 2019 offseason
Perhaps there was more behind the scenes in Houston concerning Gaine that we aren’t privy to that led to his firing. Having said that, it’s impossible to look at the 2019 NFL Draft class and not think that the shortcomings and misfires of that group didn’t play a large role in the way things transpired.