2021 NFL Trade Deadline: Rams, Browns lead winners and losers

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Oct 31, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Sony Michel (25) is tackled during the third quarter by Houston Texans cornerback Tavierre Thomas (37) and punter Cameron Johnston (11) at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports /

2022 NFL Trade Deadline Winners and Losers

Loser: Houston Texans

How could you look at the Houston Texans and not consider them losers of the 2021 NFL Trade Deadline?

They traded away defensive lineman Charles Omenihu to the San Francisco 49ers (for only a future late-round selection), a massive “L” for Nick Caserio for one of his more talented defensive linemen.

They traded away Mark Ingram to the New Orleans Saints, which may seem inconsequential but if you’re going to be a bad team, you at least need guys who can help build the culture you want, and Ingram was one of the guys who was really in head coach David Culley’s corner.

They failed to trade away Brandin Cooks, clearly their most valuable asset who could have probably brought in a day two selection with his 2021 salary and the flexibility for teams to move on or keep him at a reasonable price in 2022.

The Texans were handcuffed in the Deshaun Watson situation, his pending legal issues leaving them no choice but to hold out and wait to trade him in the 2022 offseason.

But this is a team that should have been selling (and it sounds like they were) but they did not get nearly enough in return for the massive number of veterans they signed to one-year deals in the 2021 offseason.

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