Houston Texans Pre-Season 2014 - NT Bowl 2.5...Battle For Roster Spots

Everybody should know what this is about. We took the next step to becoming perennial playoff contenders, but we're also


trying to get that Super Bowl right now. 



This is copy and pasted from Sole Searchin's last post in our Official Houston Texans Fans Thread, and we'll see how stuff goes


from here:



Jason AllenDefensive Back2012: Free Agent


Mike BrisielGuard2012: Free Agent
Tim BulmanDefensive Lineman2012: Free Agent
Quintin DempsDefensive Back2012: Restricted Free Agent
Tim DobbinsLinebacker2012: Free Agent
Joel DreessenTight End2012: Free Agent

Arian FosterRunning Back2012: Restricted Free Agent
Bryant JohnsonWide Receiver2012: Free Agent
Chris MyersGuard2012: Free Agent
Neil RackersPlace Kicker2012: Free Agent
Derrick WardRunning Back2012: Free Agent
Jon WeeksCenter2012: Exclusive Rights Free Agent
Mario WilliamsLinebacker2012: Free Agent

FA's for 2012, with BOLD being who we need to sign back. Priority IMO goes:

Foster (pay the man after 2.5 years of being paid under a million) and NO Tate is not the answer without Foster
Brisiel and Myers (best Oline in the league, must stay together)
Dreessen (good safety for OD, and if we sign Dreessen, may mean the end of OD coming up soon)
Allen without a true #2CB we need Allen for reassurance for KJ and a third CB

Now on to Mario, he's still an unknown in this system. We know what Barwin and Reed (as a rookie) can do, but still do not know about Mario


 (he needs to be consistent). As of now, I'd use the Franchise tender on him and see if he can play consistently well and/or stay healthy.




[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Also, here is a list of the top 50 potential free agents, some of which the Texans could/should probably take a look at, followed[/font]


by other notable free agents:



[table][tr][td]
1. Drew Brees
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QB
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33
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2. Carl Nicks
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G
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27
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3. Ray Rice 
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RB 
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25
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4. Arian Foster (Restricted)
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RB
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26
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5. Robert Mathis
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DE
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31
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6. Cortland Finnegan 
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CB 
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28 
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7.  Calais Campbell    
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DE
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26
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8. Matt Forte  
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RB
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26 
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9. Jermichael Finley 
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TE
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25 
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10. Wes Welker
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WR 
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31 
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11. Mario Williams 
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LB 
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27
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12. Dwayne Bowe
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WR
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27
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13. Cliff Avril 
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DE
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26
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14. Mike Wallace (Restricted)
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WR
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26
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15. Ben Grubbs
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G
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28
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16. John Abraham   
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DE 
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34  
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17. Curtis Lofton 
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LB  
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26
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18. Marques Colston   
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WR 
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29 
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19. Stephen Tulloch 
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LB
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28
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20. Brent Grimes  
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CB 
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29
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21. Brodrick Bunkley 
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DT
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28
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22. Marshawn Lynch
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RB 
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26
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23. Alex Smith 
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QB 
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28
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24.  D’Qwell Jackson 
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LB 
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28 
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25. Vincent Jackson
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WR 
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29 
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26. Lardarius Webb 
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CB
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26
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27. Cory Redding    
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DE
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31
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28. Steve Johnson
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WR 
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26
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29. Carlos Rogers
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CB
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31
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30. Paul Soliai
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DT 
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28 [/td]
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31. Chris Meyers 
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C
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30 
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32. David Hawthorne 
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LB 
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27
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33. Sione Pouha 
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DT 
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33
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34. DeSean Jackson     
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WR 
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25 
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35. Matt Flynn  
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QB
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27  
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36. Brandon Carr
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CB
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26 
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37. Anthony Spencer  
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LB [/td]
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28 
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38.  LaRon Landry       
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S
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27 
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39. Jason Campbell   
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QB 
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30
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40. Reggie Wayne 
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WR 
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33
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41. Jeremy Mincey   
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DE  
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28 
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42. Brandon Lloyd    
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WR 
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31 
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43.  Matt Roth
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DE 
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29 
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44. Peyton Hillis
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RB 
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26 [/td]
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45.  Michael Griffin     
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S
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27
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46. Jarrett Johnson
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LB 
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31 
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47. Scott Wells 
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C 
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31
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48.  Tyvon Branch 
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S   
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25
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49. Laurent Robinson
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WR
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27 
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50. Terrell Thomas
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CB  
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28
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[/tr][/table]
Other Notable 2012 Free Agents:


Richard Marshall – ARI

Kroy Biermann – ATL

Matt Birk – BAL

Dan Conner – CAR

Greg Olsen – CAR

Bobbie Williams – CIN

Ryan Grant – GB

Jeff Saturday – IND

Rashean Mathis – JAC

Kyle Orton – KC

E.J. Henderson – MIN

BenJarvus Green-Ellis – NE

Tracy Porter – NO

Robert Meachem – NO

Aubrayo Franklin – NO

Michael Bush – OAK

Nick Hardwick – SD

Mike Tolbert – SD

Fred Davis – WAS

Also, this is the complete list of potential free agents: http://nfltraderumors.co/...1022012-nfl-free-agents/

Get a CB and sign the rest of the FA and we good. Release KJackson

Texans fans, you guys had a great season. Yall know i ride and die with my Titans but I'm a football fan also. You guys have a scary defense and our rivalry will get more intense this coming season. If Shaub was healthy, things woulda been different IMO. My question is, DelHomme has playoff experience. Why didn't they put him in?

Originally Posted by SonOfTony

Texans fans, you guys had a great season. Yall know i ride and die with my Titans but I'm a football fan also. You guys have a scary defense and our rivalry will get more intense this coming season. If Shaub was healthy, things woulda been different IMO. My question is, DelHomme has playoff experience. Why didn't they put him in?

Click to expand...

Is Delhomme really that much better then Yates, especially not taking snaps with the first team, no timing, coming in mid season? Also, if we do win, we would go back to Yates for the AFC championship game and how does a benching work for his confidence, not that well. To me, you play Yates, no question about it, he know's the team, the starters, just lacked the experience.
But in regards to my list up top, I really don't know what to do with Mario if his franchise cap is around 18-20 Million and we couldn't resign some of the O-line. To me behind Foster, the O-line is the most important signing we need to do, we must keep them together. 

FA won't be that big of a deal for the Texans IMO (in regards to getting new players, but if we just resign our players, we'll be fine) just attack the draft with some more depth at the OL, CB, and get a #2WR ASAP through the draft, it'll be cheaper then getting one in FA.

delhome was trash. his body wasnt ready for the game hence the retirement...

i agree with sole searchin... other than signing foster we def need to keep the ol as is (lord knows we had enough bad oline years)... a 2nd cb and wr would be a nice touch on top..

cant wait to see what nike cooks up for the uniforms.

I'm pretty up in the air about Mario too. We balled out with Barwin/Reed/Watt stepping up big time, but I don't know if
we could do that from the start without Mario.

I heard that more than likely, any holes we have to feel will definitely be done through the draft, and we're trying to resign
our own guys before even thinking about stepping out to free agency. The cap room is the problem for us, cause I don't
think we have loads of money to spend. I'd love to have Colston or Vincent Jackson on the other side of Andre, but just
right now that's not looking like a very likely option.

Ditto on sole searchin's explanation of Yates/Delhomme. You ride with your QB til the wheels fall off.

Nicks & Bowe please.

Getting the feeling they will let Mario walk and re up Arian.

I'm sure everybody already heard of the Raiders snatching up Greg Knapp as their OC, so we signed Karl Dorrell as
our new Quarterbacks coach, who was with the Dolphins last year.

I look at this Texans team and I'm not really sure what position you guys would need to address.

QB - check
RB - check
WR - check
OL - check
DL - check
LB - check
DB - ?

Maybe defensive back? Jonathan Joseph had a great year, but maybe the CB opposite could use an upgrade? There's a handful of solid FA Corners.

I doubt you guys resign Super Mario. I don't think he's worth 8-10 mill a year, let alone whatever the franchise tag would be. Plus the defense didn't skip a beat without him.

Questions: Is Wade Phillips coming back? How are you on draft picks? What happens with Ben Tate?

We could definitely use another DB, cause Kareem always gets picked on, and even though Jason Allen does make plays, he also gets caught
out of position and stuff sometimes. I do see us addressing a WR in the first round though, cause as great as Andre is, and even though he'll be
getting healthy, we still need a legit #2 guy on the opposite side. Jacoby is wildly inconsistent, and no one is afraid of Kevin Walter.

I doubt we resign Mario too, cause a franchise tag on him would be like 22-28 mill, which could easily be used on 2 draft picks.

Philips is coming back, and once we give Foster a long term deal, him and Tate will just continue to be a 1-2 punch, cause everybody knows
how important Foster is in the redzone, no matter if Tate is a 2nd round pick. Tate is not ready to be THE guy, and he doesn't have to be.

And I think we have 7 total picks, not including what we traded away for Derrick Mason in the middle of the season.

Scratch Bowe and Mario Williams off that list cause they are headed to Buffalo... and the Superbowl

Originally Posted by rayray3thousand

Scratch Bowe and Mario Williams off that list cause they are headed to Buffalo... and the Superbowl

Click to expand...

Bears vs Texans in super bowl 47 

Mario Williams will be a bear with peppers.

Originally Posted by primetime21

Mario Williams will be a bear with peppers.

Click to expand...

Ya'll need to resign Forte for the zillionth time already. Not even spend a penny on defense and finally get a goddamn WR for Cutler to throw to.

Gotta keep the offensive line intact & resign Arian.

FO shouldn't get complacent with a little taste of success.

Originally Posted by AG 47

Originally Posted by primetime21

Mario Williams will be a bear with peppers.

Click to expand...

Ya'll need to resign Forte for the zillionth time already. Not even spend a penny on defense and finally get a goddamn WR for Cutler to throw to.

Click to expand...

don't worry we will resign forte and sign vjax and draft floyd we have ALOT of cap space. edit: mario is a pipe dream tho 

A Foster....5 years $43 mil...$20 guaranteed. Play hard...PLAY hard.

Very cap friendly deal by Arian. I believe he could have made more, since this deal was based on D. Williams and Foster is and has been much better.

Onto Meyers now, but if he is franchised, that's a 9.5 Million dollas hit since all OL are grouped together. As much as I still want to keep Mario, if he wants money, he'll get it, but if he wants to stay and win, the Texans will pay him, but we can't give him the most money.

Mario is gone. I think we all see it coming. The Texans just don't have any cap space to work with. 
Sign Briesel and Myers and let's improve through the draft 

Yea, this was probably the writing on the wall for Mario. I'd love to have him back, but with our cap situation, and the money
he could command on the market, it's really not possible.

Foster's deal is both good for him AND the Texans, so props to both for making that happen, cause Foster should have been the
priority over Mario anyway. Keep the line in tact, and we're all good heading into the draft.

Hate to lose Mario but I think J.J. and Brooks will be ok, Really hope we can find a decent CB and WR in draft.