NFL Free Agency 2020: 5 Teams that should tender an offer for Austin Ekeler

5. Houston Texans

The Houston Texans need a dynamic weapon in their backfield to compliment Deshaun Watson. While Carlos Hyde was able to rush for over 1,000 yards in 2019, he is entering free agency and will be 30 years old next season; the Texans would be foolish to give a long-term extension to an aging running back who is on his fifth NFL team in six years.

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Duke Johnson, for whom Houston traded a third-round pick last offseason, only managed 410 rushing yards and 410 receiving yards. While they are solid contributors, neither is the long-term solution at the position.

Given the Texans have limited draft capital after their trades last offseason, they would be better off using their $63 million in cap space to find an upgrade for their backfield. Ekeler could be a great fit beside Watson. He combines the best aspects of Hyde and Johnson, as he managed similar yards per carry to Hyde and a better yards per reception than Johnson. He also scored the same amount of touchdowns as the two backs combined.

Ekeler could be a three-down back in the Houston offense, easily running RPOs with Watson and thriving off of short passes. With Will Fuller and DeAndre Hopkins stretching the field, Ekeler will be able to benefit from one-on-one coverage against a slower linebacker. Seeing how Houston allowed the eighth-most sacks in the league in 2019, Ekeler would be a useful safety valve for Watson to get the ball out of his hands quickly.

If the draft tender is too high, the Texans may not be able to afford Ekeler, as their first draft choice is No. 57 overall. However, they can easily outbid the Chargers for the running back’s services and give Ekeler an offer Los Angeles would have to refuse. A dynamic runner and receiver like Ekeler would finally give Watson a high caliber running back option with which to work.