Aaron Wilson Recaps Week 1 of Free Agency

After what's been a wild week across the NFL with new contracts, new teams, new players, constantly changing and shifting across the league, NFL Texans Insider Aaron Wilson joins the guys in recap of this week's madness in observing the team's newest editions and also who to eye for the draft. 

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
I'm a Dillard fan. Back tothe Sean Salisbury Show. Yeah, Aaron
Wilson, you get him on Twitterat Aaron Wilson. Man. Is he
really good at what he does?And it's been a grind and he stays
at it and we got him ontoday, Aaron, welcome in. Let
me start here. Are they Howclose? Is this team? Meaning the
Texans too working? Their plan?Perfection never really hits, but to excellence?

(00:25):
Is their plan hitting? So farthis offseason free agency, Yeah,
I would say that some things havegone their way and they've been aggressive.
They capitalized on some opportunities. DanielHunter being one of the most notable to
get a really a pure pass rushor great athlete like him on top of
his game and also a hometown guy. The Joe Mixon trade was a good

(00:48):
pivot and to get him signed toa new deal have him under team control
now for the next three years fortwenty seven million another good move. He's
a proven you know, he's abigger back at six one through twenty.
He's got great pass catching skills andhe's approven the winner. He's been to
a Super Bowl and maybe he's themissing ingredient. He talked about he likes,

(01:10):
well, they've got cooking here.I think he could be that guy.
What happened with them? You know, they were involved in the Saquon
Barkley sloop steaks. They spent alot as far as a bid, then
they couldn't close on him. Theygot to a point where, you know,
they were pretty competitive and they justfelt like they wouldn't go to the
Eagles threshold. Okay, well they'regetting another running back after moving on from

(01:32):
Devin Motor Singletary, and I thinkthe running back market it was fortunate for
them to be able to land mixin because at some point, you know,
the music stops and there's everybody sittingin their chairs. You're wondering what
we're gonna have to draft one?All those things not a great running back
draft. So to get mixed andthat worked out pretty smoothly. Didn't work

(01:53):
out as smoothly a defensive tackle.Sean honestly sheldren rankings. They're at a
competitive situation. They're bidding twelve milliona year to get out bid by the
Bengals. He wanted to come backtrading Millie Collins that they try to do
a player for player for the Ericarmers Stead. It didn't work. I
don't think they could have afforded haveEric Armstead, who got fifty one million

(02:15):
over three, and have Neil Hunter. It's kind of an either or situation.
You can't just have this, youknow, huge spending on one defensive,
one position. They'd already done theDenico Autrey. No one's talked much
about that, but Sean, Ithink that was a great tun right there.
Yeah, sneaky good that he watchedsome highlights. Watched him in you

(02:38):
know, a lot of games inpersonal last of years. He's tough man,
and he put him inside. He'stoo athletic for these guys. When
he's outside, he's too quick forthe offensive tackles the block. I think
that was a good move, andit's kind of flown under the radar for
their good moves that they've done thisoff season. I'll she's the year.

(03:01):
That's a good signing. Hundred sixtythree tackle last year for the Titans.
You know a little bit of athumper guy. It's a tone setter and
can run. So yes, theylost Lake Cashman, but I think they've
filled that void well with Al Shayir, who played for demic Rance with the
Niners so positive all season. WhatI don't think is been as good is

(03:23):
at cornerback Jeff Akudah Inn benched bythe Falcons beinged by the Lions former third
overall pick. Maybe they can getinto his potential tap into that have not
re signed Steven Nelson. Doesn't looklike it's going to go that way with
him returning. So maybe it's Okudahor a draft pick. And there are
a lot of good corners of thisdraft. Aaron Wilson joins us second.

(03:45):
Gush, I got so many ofthese things I want to get to with
you. Let me let me goback to rankins. They offered him twelve
What did he get? What wasthis per year average? Per year?
What did he get for twenty six? Okay, so let me ask you
this. How bad did they wanthim here? Very badly? Talk for
him? Twelve million? Why not? Why not overpay if he wanted to
be or why not take it onemore million up in the in the big

(04:06):
scheme of things. Would that havecrushed a salary cap? Why not?
No, that'd be a question forthe Cantereo. Like in terms of you
know, I think what happens withhim, A lot of times. A
lot of general manager like this.He's not alone in this. They set
a certain price, they believe inthat philosophically, they have their convictions.
They say, okay, well here'ssome of the things. You know you've

(04:28):
missed some time, you had someinjuries. You remember he was always an
injury report, and that gives yousome concern. Made a little bit of
pause about spending quite that big.So you can't let other teams desperation sometimes
override your financial threshold. I respectthat. I think that you have to
sometimes make these tough decisions. Theydid pivot to Tim Settle Junior, who's

(04:54):
more of a plug in. Youknow, they plug he's a de guy,
a depth guy. Yeah. Yeah, so they still need, really,
in my opinion, another quality startedgive it sackle fully fun of Costi's
I think he's gonna compete with himif they don't draft someone. That's what
I think they've got at de tackleat that one spot. But fans don't

(05:15):
think this way, and I thinka lot of us in the media don't.
You're not going to have a highpriced, all star type of guy
at every spot. Sometimes you havea guy that's just pretty good, but
he's not a big name guy,but Settle's got a few skills. I
mean, he had a five sackyear one year in a more free wheeling
scheme with the Washington franchise, butit's been a few years since he's played

(05:36):
to that level as a pass rusher. I think he's more of a run
stopper at this stage of his career. But I've heard good guy, tough
and guy you want on your team. For sure. See him, you
know, making the team. He'sgot a two year be worth up to
seven million. Aaron Wilson joins ushere. You get him on Twitter at
Aaron Wilson. He always blogs upand down, not only around the league,

(06:00):
right here in Houston. Okay,just on a quick one on this.
In the Barkley mixing situation, Icontend I think Saquon Barkley still get
great football in front of it,and I think Joe Mixon both sub you
know, under thirty years old,mixing a little bit older. But I
don't think, especially when you putthe passing game involved, I don't think

(06:20):
that there's a huge gap between theskill set in production. They're sure as
heck, isn't. I don't thinkthere's a huge gap between Barkley and Mixon.
I think this is a hell ofa get I do, and a
sneaky one considering the Ed, Henryand Jacobs in that whole group, I'm
not sure they I'm not sure thisis a miss because you didn't get Barkley.
I think Mixing can play. Hecan definitely play. I mean prn

(06:44):
for one thousand and thirty four yards. Last season, he got forty nine
career touchdown runs and he's only twentyseven. It'll be twenty eight yep in
July. I think he's got alot left. And when I look at
him as someone that he's got everything, it's to be that belt out running
back. And like he was talking, like he said, he said,
I can be that guy to getus over the hump. But he was

(07:05):
talking about more playoff wins plural,and he was a part of a Super
Bowl run. The Bengals were ateam. They were down when he got
there, but they built something withJoe Burrow. So I see some parallels
right with him joining a excellent youngquarterback in CJ. Stroud. Maybe that's

(07:28):
the missing piece. The offense wastwenty third and rushing offense last season and
with him, I could see thembeing at least in the top half.
And I think he's got every tool. I think he's also matured, you
know, well documented. He hadsome very you know, serious off feelings
in Oklahoma, but he's learned fromthem all that. So we first got

(07:51):
to school, we're talking a decadelater. It's old and you're looking at
now someone that was a team captaineach of the past three seasons. They
don't just hand that out to guysand aren't a good leader. So as
he said, I have that command. I lead by example. He leads
vocally, and I liked everything Iwas hearing from Jill Mixon. I'd be

(08:15):
very surprised if he wasn't a youknow, guy that's having a thousand yards
and fifty forty to fifty fifty fivecatches. He's at that ability. Yeah,
if they want that from him,he can do it. Yep,
Aaron, let me and it atleast and it gives you a bandwidth in
the passing game, at least createssome mismatches. You'd hope all right with
with this team. Is the backuprunning back on the team? Great question.

(08:39):
You know there are running backs outthere like Alexander Madison, JK.
Dobbins, who, by the way, lives in Cyprus, but nothing where
they've made a move on that.I think, now, Bill, let
the market settle and say, oh, what's the price for guys like that?
Or do you give Damian Pierce anotheropportunity or do you draft someone They

(09:01):
have looked at some guys in thedraft, like Ray Davis from Kentucky met
with him at the Singer Bowl withNick Assario. I think they've got a
good situation where it's kind of anopen fleet, and you know, Pierce
probably can learn a lot from mixing. It's just a matter of can he

(09:22):
be better in the zone offense becausethe offense isn't changing, so it's got
to be him that changes and getsadjusted to it better. But I've said
the question is to be determined.Answered to that question all right? As
we head towards the rest of freeagency and moving ahead towards the draft.
If you're the GM or speaking forthem or either you, you preface it

(09:43):
how you'd like. What are thetop three needs? Now? Will need
a wide receiver. I believe youneed more, not a number one type
of guy, but you need someJust do you want to add some competition
to the position. I think theycould use and know they have four safeties.

(10:03):
If you've seen an opportunity to upgrade, there are some really good safeties
out there I've heard of. Iknow a lot of people speculated. I've
heard no link to them saying Okay, well we're we're gonna get involved with
Simmons or Quandary Diggs. They haven'tdone that yet, but there's opportunity to
and it's worth evaluating and then lookingat you know, they probably don't know

(10:24):
what they're going to do at deeptackles. You know that was on the
spot that didn't work out for them. But I still think they could use
a little more at linebacker to gowith Christian Harris and as he's Alshaire,
maybe there's another linebacker opportunity. Butyou know, you look at the team,
you know they need these positions.Wide receivers, safety, probably the

(10:46):
number. You know, one ortwo spots they could still use some help.
You know, one thing they're bettingon is if you have a healthy
No. A Brown goal with NicoCollins and Tank del and maybe you draft
one and you've also got MATCHINGAVI orHutchinson and Robert Woods still under contract.
Feels like you got enough pass catchers. I mean, vald Asaults basically is

(11:07):
the third receiver option after Tank andNico, So you know, do you
have to have more? Chemistry isan important thing and somethings you want to
overload positions. They just want tosee do players like I met here a
Hutchinson do they step up this year? Does Woods get healthier? I think
these are all variables that they haveto consider before they sign other guys.

(11:31):
I mean, the safety depth isgood with Eric Murray and MJ. Stewart.
They just need Jimmy Warre to behealthier and Challeen Petrie to play better.
Those things happen, maybe you didn'tneed to sign somebody all right,
real quick? Is is there achance that they jump into the T Higgins
Frey or is it too much?Is too pricey for them? I haven't
heard of them having any involvement inthe T Higgins now. I think,

(11:52):
you know, you think about wherethey are, the financial commitments they've made,
you know, wanted to keep thatfirst round draft pick. I don't
see it. I think that ifI'm a betting man, I think Higgins
despite his trade request from how windsup playing for the Bengals. I do
too. I think that's the numberone dog, all right, the lead
dog for them, I would agree. And Burl's going to be back healthy,

(12:13):
all right. We'll end with thisis there from the last the last
tick of the clock and walking offthe field against Baltimore last year to now,
Oh the Texans better today? Ido? I feel that way,
And I think it's certain moves thatjust are a little bit better than what
they had. Not no knock onJonathan Gernard or a no Devin Singletary.

(12:37):
But I feel like you could certainlysay that Joe Mixon globol runner, bigger
runner, you know, upgrade fromSingletary. And then Daniel Hunter. Look
how many sacks he has record,How athletic he is, he's how big
he is? Uh. The guyis one of the best athletes in the
NFL, regardless of position. Imean, he was a high jump champion

(13:00):
at Morton Ranch High School and Katieand the four hundred meter runner at six
six. He is a freak athlete. I'm working on an article on him
talking to his train of the footworkking about what he's all about and his
high school coaches. He's outstanding.I think that to me really is the
crown jewel of their all season sofar. It's the con at those two

(13:24):
positions with Hunter and Mixing. Whilethe other guys were good, these guys
are better. That's just the cold, hard facts. There's no question about
it, all right, man,be honest the way it is. Brother,
it's a lot of study. Andyou know that because you study them
all the time, they got betterat those two positions, no doubt.
All right, my man, goodstuff. We'll look forward to talking to
you at some point. Get avacation, better sleep, you need it.

(13:45):
You deserve it. You don't needit, but you deserve it.
And we always appreciate you coming onhere and killing it for us. Ma
Man, we'll talk soon. Thanks. Good talking you too. That's great,
Aaron Wilson. We'll come back anddiscuss that. Defensive tackle positions a
must and the back end of thesecondary corner land safety. The depth,
depth is going to be the difference. They've got some good frontline players.
They're gonna be fine there. Youjust don't want any able to get hurt.

(14:07):
Where do they go next? Righthere? Sports Talk seven ninety