James Palmer on The A-Team: Texans Building On Super Bowl Window

The NFL Network's James Palmer joins The A-Team to talk about the Texans recent moves of the past week. He talks about how many at the network are looking at the moves made by Nick Caserio.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Our favorite from the NFL network.Don't tell the other people I said that,
James Palmer. But great having youwith us, always producing great content
here with us, awesome stuff onthe NFL Report, and I know even
there there's been a lot of talkabout the Houston Texans. So we will
start there as we welcome you inhere as we roll through our Friday James,
what in your best guests with allthe people you're in contact with,

(00:24):
even just inside your own newsroom,etc. What's the general thought about what
the Texans have done from Monday tilltoday. It's really strong, Adam,
I'll put it out there. Ido think everybody is kind of on the
same page in what Nick Sara wasdoing. And I think you could say

(00:44):
that they were aggressive and you haven'tseen them be aggressive before, but I
wouldn't even really use that word.I think they were still measured in a
sense, and I think the waythey did these contracts was extremely smart.
Like I mean, look at mostof these deals, they're too your deals,
and so they're going to be upbefore you have to start paying some
of these really talented draft picks thatyou've had the last couple of years,

(01:07):
So your money lines up pretty well, and I think everybody was curious what
they were going to do considering this. We could say it like I don't
know if I'm overstepping, but likethis Super Bowl contender window has opened,
like after just one season with CJ. Shroud and Demiko Ryan. So what
are you going to do with themoney that you have in place in a

(01:27):
rookie quarterback contract? And what areyou going to go out and do?
And I think it was really reallysmart to build through the defensive side of
the ball. And I mean everybodyin Houston knows this right to Miko's going
to build through the defensive line.He values it, you know, higher
than maybe any other position group outthere in terms of what you need to
be successful. And there's a chance, and I've said this on NFL Network,

(01:49):
like there's a legitimate chance that DanielHunter and Will Anderson Junior could be
the best ed rushing duo in football. Yeah, and that's I mean,
that's what has all of us,including the two I was talking to you
on the phone right now, themost excited. But having said all that,
and I agree with a lot ofwhat you said, there aren't a
couple of head scratching moves, namelythe one that they made today, which

(02:10):
is also bizarre because I feel likethem and the Vikings just keep flip flopping
assets and players either directly or indirectly. But yeah, you have to go
back and forth, it really does. But today's move, and then also
the Malik Collins deal, which seeminglylooked like it at first it was rumored
to be for Armstead, and thenArmstead ends up going into the division to

(02:32):
the Jags. I think those arethe two transactions, or I guess,
in the case of Armstead not cominghere, non transactions that we're kind of
scratching our heads about and wondering what'sthe next domino or what's the thinking here?
For sure, and I think theArmstead one and the Milik one that
that makes sense because there is ifyou talk to anybody around the league,

(02:54):
and that's literally what we do theselast several days is just sit on the
phone, is there's there's a deficiencyof good defensive tackles available, and there's
needy teams for interior rushers and interiorplayers. And that was one of the
kind of head scratchers with Houston,I would say, is going okay They've

(03:14):
filled a lot of other spots.They got deeper at linebacker. You know,
you get Autry is like a rotationalguy, like he doesn't have to
play a ton of snaps at hisage. I think that's a good deal
as well. And like I likemost of the moves, and you go,
well, what about this position group, I would advise to go And
I don't know why they made thistrade today. I haven't dug on it
and go to Philadelphia and think aboutHowie Roseman and how he operates three hundred

(03:37):
and sixty five days out of theyear. So I wouldn't panic if you
look at what Philly in the lasttwo years has added, even in the
months leading into the season, Liketwo years ago they added CJ. Garden
Johnson, who ironically is back,but like two weeks before the year started,
and I think he tied for theleague leading interceptions that year and missed
like a boatload at the time.So my point with that is, right,

(03:58):
like we're a handful days into freeagency, there's still a lot of
ways you can fill your roster,a lot of time for you to fill
your roster. I don't know allif it has to happen right, you
know, out of the jump andwith the trade, what I see is
a team that's very aggressive to goafter a quarterback and another team that's obviously
more content and cool with Hey,more picks over the next couple of the

(04:23):
years we've drafted. Well, let'stry to keep doing that and keep acquiring
more assets during this time. Iskind of appears to be the thinking of
the Texans. With you here withus today, James, one of the
players they acquired that we almost havetalked none about, we need to today.
Five short years ago, this playerwas wrecking shop for Ryan days Buckeyes,

(04:45):
became the third overall pick, andnow is set to play for his
third team in what will be hisfifth season. Why is there hope from
this team that Jeff Okuda will bea starting, a plus caliber starting corner.
Yeah, that's his bucket. Ithrive in Houston. No, I'm
just listen. He he has talent. I think that's that's that's evident.

(05:06):
I would say, if you wantto be optimistic and do you take a
one year, six million dollar flyeron a guy who was a former third
overall pick, like yeah, Iwould say that's not a terrible, terrible
move, I would look at what'shappened in then in I'm in Denver,
what happened in Houston in one year? Like, I think you've got to
rely on your coaching staff sometimes togo, let's see what we can do.

(05:28):
I mean, like what was turnedaround with this defense, specifically against
the run. Now this has nothingto do with the secondary, but my
point is this, like if AmigoRyans and his group can come in and
they were giving up one hundred andseventy point two yards a game the year
before on the ground and they endedup giving ninety with it ninety six point
six, sixth best in the NFLthe next year. Like, yes,
some players changed, but yeah,coaching is really valuable as well. And

(05:50):
if you think you can coach aguy up to play above you know what
you've seen. I mean, it'snot a terrible deal on a one year
deal for six million dollars corner thatdefinitely has talent, and it's not like
you're like pressing need for him togo out and really really thrive, because
he did have flashes in Atlanta lastyear. So you talked about building the

(06:13):
defensive side of the football, andI countered with head scratching questions or moves
that are head scratchers. I guessyour thoughts on the Texans, you know,
acquiring Joe Mixon but then extending himthe way they did. Yeah,
I was a little curious about thetrade because the running back market for the
first time was actually a market whichjust hasn't existed for a couple of years.

(06:38):
And obviously these guys didn't really getpaid paid, even Sekwon didn't get
paid paid. But the market isbetter than it's been. There's no guys
coming out in the draft like youhad to land somebody, and like there's
a stat from Joe that stands outto me that's like wow. I mean
since twenty eighteen, there's only threein the NFL that have had five seasons

(07:02):
with twelve hundred scrimm in yard erMoore. It's him, Alvin Kamara,
and Tyreek Hill. And that's it. Like, if you feel like you
can use him in a variety ofways and you think still there's something else
from your other back that kind oflost his job. But if you're still
has something, I think you dokind of make a play there. But
because you're not getting any young talentout of the draft into your backfield.

(07:27):
That's a stretch. I was curiousabout extending because, like he has been
around, and we know about treadon the tires with running backs, but
he's been pretty ten durable and he'sbeen pretty consistent from what I said so
and what the stats say, andI've covered Cincinnati a good amount. I
mean, he does a lot ofdifferent things for them within their offense.
I think there's ways to use him, and you got to have a plan

(07:48):
for somebody like this, and yougot to have a help. You gotta
have help for him as well thathe's not carrying the football honestly too much,
and I think they do have thata little bit. One thing we
haven't seen enough of for a normaloffseason, and I'm curious if you think
we will, is the well,we have to start moving some players for
cap reasons or we're just gonna haveto let him go. And maybe it

(08:09):
began yesterday with the Keenan Allen tradefrom the Chargers to the Bears. Are
there any other veteran, established,expensive players that you can see being moved
to new teams because of those reasons? I mean, we've everybody had to
be under right. The other day. So like that's where you know,
some of the movement ends up happening. There's still some teams deciding on some

(08:33):
guys, but I think the bulkof the bulk of major moves in that
sense are probably behind us. Ina sense, I thought the Keenan Allen
won to me just personally knowing theChargers, knowing what Keenan is, knowing
what he's done for the organization.Who Harbaugh comes in there, it just
goes, oh, take it easy, bro. I was like, wow,

(08:56):
that was That was a head scratcher. But obviously finances play a part
in it. I don't know ifthere's too many more of those on the
horizon, just because now we're intothe league year and everybody had to be
under and so there might be oneor two more where you get kind of
a little bit surprised, But thosedecisions, most of them were already made.
The reason the Chargers took a littlewhile is because they were trying to

(09:16):
manipulate like four different players that werelike thirty million plus cap hits and trying
to figure out how to manipulate allof them. Got two of them back,
you know, and so I thinkthat's why there is just took a
little bit. I don't see awhole lot more of those happening. Well
real quickly, Is there a secondAFC team that you think did themselves well
this free agent period? Obviously rankingbehind Houston, Baltimore had some people go

(09:41):
out the door, but I thinkDerek Henry along with Lamar Jackson, Like,
this game's about scoring points obviously,and I don't know what defense is
going to feel comfortable inside the tenwith both of those guys in the backfield.
And I mentioned them losing guys,aren't they like the one team you
look at and like anybody gets hurt, somebody goes down O line secondary and

(10:01):
then you're just like, oh,they just plug so and so in and
they're still really good, Like that'stheir organization. So I think adding Derek
Henry puts them a little bit closerinto that group. And I think Houston's
in that group as well. That'severybody's hunting down Kansas City. Something from
the NFL report with you and Stevethat our listeners need to tune in for.

(10:22):
If you like Max Crosby or youhate Max Crosby, he was unbelievable.
I don't know how you could aidhim. He's like one of the
most likeable guys in the league.But his interview with us yesterday it was
like twenty minutes. And if youwant to just know about the type of
guy he is or leader he is, there's a story he tells in watching
The Last Dance Less it's just likeout of this world, Like he was

(10:46):
watching it in a hotel room aftera surgery after a second season and literally
watched it with his wife and changehis entire life, like from that minute
on. And it hasn't adjusted fromwhat he eats to what you know,
people that work on his body,everything has changed after watching Jordan. And
that's why he has a massive,unbelievably accurate tattoo of Michael Jordan on his
torso, which is a bit awkward, but it's there accurate. His tattoos

(11:13):
are. His tattoos are like incredible. I mean, I don't know if
it's like I feel very uncomfortable rightnow being on the radio talking about another
man's tattoos, but like his artworkis like some of the best around.
I'm told I'm not one to youknow, I'm a tattoo officionado, but
it's incredible if you look at it, I mean it's nuts. So his
his stories and his leadership, thestuff he talks about in that interview is

(11:35):
just its next level. He's phenomenal. Well, keep in mind everybody who
watched Thursday Night Football this year whenthe Raiders were I think it was the
game where they told Brandon Staley heneed not continue working. He was their
shirtless during his postgame interview, Soeverybody is aware of what you're talking about.
It's a canvas. Yeah, there'sa lot going on there. I
think he goes under actually doing alot of the artwork because it's like so

(11:58):
detailed. I think he gets putunder. That's the extreme as someone who
does have ink. I've never donethat, so are we don't quote me
on that, but I'm pretty sureit's accurate. Are we to assume that
James Palmer has no ink? Zero? Man? Wow, ditto you to
pure Breads. I know I can'tchange my mind too much. I'd just

(12:20):
probably go like, oh I shouldhave done blank, Well it got done.
A little bit of advice. Itis permanent. Oh Dann, Yeah,
good call. It's not going offall right, James. Hey,
we appreciate the time good stuff asalways, and I'm sure we'll be catching
up again sooner rather than later.Big time man, all right, guys,

(12:41):
James Palmer here on Sports Talk sevenninety