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This page lists all the 2023 Trades for the Houston Texans. I’ve listed all of the NFL Free Agent Signing Grades here, which included the trades. Because I’ve begun posting polls for the trades, I thought it would make sense to list just the NFL trades here, so archiving the voting would be easier.
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- Total Trades: 2
- Average Grade: C+ (78.5)
March 2023 – Trades and Signings
Cowboys acquire WR Brandin Cooks from Texans for 2023 5th-round pick, 2024 6th-round pick
Has Dallas’ quest to find a No. 2 receiver finally ended? They flirted with Odell Beckham Jr. late last year before declining to sign him. They then obtained T.Y. Hilton, who didn’t do much outside of convert a crucial third-and-33 versus the Eagles. Beckham was discussed again in the offseason, but Dallas has finally settled on Brandin Cooks, whom it acquired in a trade with the Texans.
Cooks definitely has more upside than Hilton, but there is a very low floor. Cooks has a very dubious concussion history, and one more concussion could knock him out of the league for good. Furthermore, Cooks showed signs of a decline last year. This, however, may have been a byproduct of catching passes from terrible quarterbacks and losing interest because the team was so bad. Cooks could definitely rebound in 2023.
I wouldn’t like this trade for the Cowboys if they were surrendering significant resources, but they are not doing so. A pair of third-day picks won’t make a huge difference, especially with one being a sixth-rounder in 2024. Furthermore, the Texans have agreed to take on $6 million of Cooks’ salary, which is a huge deal.
The Cowboys definitely won this trade. Cooks made it known that he didn’t want to play in Houston, so the team didn’t exactly have any leverage. However, agreeing to pay $6 million is a loss, even if it netted those late-round picks.
Grade for Cowboys – A-
Grade for Texans – C-
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Texans acquire G Shaq Mason, 7th-round pick from Buccaneers for 6th-round pick
Shaq Mason is certainly not once the elite guard who blocked for Tom Brady in New England. He was an above-average guard who blocked for Brady in Tampa Bay last year, and given the Buccaneers’ salary cap woes, he needed to be shipped to another team.
The Texans made a ton of sense as a trade target. Last year’s first-round pick, Kenyon Green, was a huge bust, so Mason will be a big upgrade if Green doesn’t improve in his second season. This better line play will be crucial, given that the Texans will be starting a rookie quarterback. Given that this rookie quarterback will probably be lightweight Bryce Young, Houston’s offensive line will need to be optimized to shield the new signal-caller.
I think the Texans definitely won this trade. They took on a highly priced player, but barely surrendered any draft capital to do so. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, will continue to see their offensive line worsen, and they didn’t get much in return.
Grade for Texans – B+
Grade for Buccaneers – C
Comment on the other free agent signings below.
Follow me @walterfootball for more hiring/signing grades and updates. Also, you can view theAd-Free Version of WalterFootball.com here!
