Looking ahead to the upcoming NFL offseason, there are a few needs that stick out among the rest for the Houston Texans. They will need more wide receiver help, improvement on the offensive line, and they could use another addition in the defensive secondary.
At wide receiver specifically, there are a lot of different directions the Texans could go.
One of them would be to simply re-sign Stefon Diggs. He was having a solid season with Houston before going down with a torn ACL. Bringing him back would make sense.
However, if Diggs’ price range ends up being too high for the Texans to be comfortable with, they could consider another intriguing option.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper is coming off of a down year, which could drive his free agency value down quite a bit. Could Houston end up signing him to a very team-friendly contract?
Bryce Martino of Toro Times has suggested Cooper as a potential fit for the Texans if they do end up seeing Diggs walk away to another team.
“Cooper, 30, can still be a great pass catcher with the right organization. Unfortunately for him, his options may be limited this offseason with the plethora of talented wide receivers available,” Martino wrote.
“After getting a taste of it with Buffalo, Cooper may be willing to take a pay cut to win a championship. Cooper is probably the cheapest option here, but he would still be huge in the development of this offense.”
During the 2024 season split between the Bills and Cleveland Browns, Cooper caught 44 passes for 547 yard and four touchdowns. All of those numbers were career lows in seasons where he played the majority of the year.
Clearly, there is reason for concern that Cooper might be slowing down. He is 30 years old and age might be catching up with him. Or, he may have had just a down year.
Taking a gamble on Cooper would still be a wise choice. If he can get back to even close to the level he was playing at in 2023, he would be a nice addition to the Houston offense.
Expect to hear a lot of rumors surrounding the Texans. Cooper might not end up being a target, but he could make sense depending on the price.