They already signed Danielle Hunter in free agency to pair with Will Anderson, so Houston isn’t hurting to find a starter.
It was reported Wednesday night by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the Houston Texans were interested in New England Patriots star pass-rusher Matthew Judon. Aaron Wilson later added to the report, saying nothing developed of the call. Judon was later traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round pick, but it brings up a good question. Are the Texans still interested in adding to their pass rushers?
They already signed Danielle Hunter in free agency to pair with Will Anderson, so Houston isn’t hurting to find a starter. However, behind those two the Texans are thin at talent. They have long-time veterans Jerry Hughes, Derek Barnett, Dylan Horton, who’s on the non-football injury list, and rookie Solomon Byrd. There's not a lot of talent on the backend of the room, but the Texans didn’t have enough money to bring in another quality player after their big additions.
Matthew Judon is in the final year of his contract and has had contract talks with the Patriots for weeks now to no avail. The Falcons will look to avoid the Haason Reddick/New York Jets drama and get a contract done with the star pass rusher soon, one that the Texans likely wouldn’t have been able to afford.
Judon, in his last healthy season in 2022, had a very productive year. He totaled 15.5 sacks and hit the quarterback 28 times. He has been a productive player with each team he’s played for, being named to the Pro Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots.
What this news from ESPN does show us, however, is that the Texans are being aggressive with the one-year window they’ve set themselves in. They aren’t afraid of adding more talent, no matter what position it is. They view the pass-rush unit as a position of need, and they could look to add to it between now and Week 1. It may not be a big-time addition like Matthew Judon, but it will be a productive player.
The Texans figure to have a lot of production from the Hunter/Anderson duo, but once they come off the field, who’s going to produce? Even after the addition of Hunter, the Texans want (and need) more from the position, and want to recreate the “Steel Curtain” from the 1970’s.
While it’s unclear what the Texans offered, if they got that far in talks, Houston has a 2025 third-round pick, the same as Atlanta traded. If they wanted Judon, their third-round pick would’ve completed the deal, and Judon would’ve joined a dominant front 7. Now, Texans fans are left wondering if Houston has one more trade up their sleeve before the season opener.
