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Top post-draft needs: AFC South
Top pressing remaining needs for the Texans, Colts, Jaguars, Titans
Originally Published: May 9, 2012
By Rivers McCown | Football Outsiders
Houston's offensive line needs some help on the right side after Eric Winston's departure.
This is the third part of an eight-part series in which Football Outsiders looks at the biggest post-draft needs for every NFL team. This week will consist of the AFC teams, by division, while next week will focus on the NFC.
Today, Outsiders looks at the AFC South.
Houston Texans: Right tackle
In a move that raised eyebrows around the league, the Texans released the highly regarded Eric Winston prior to free agency. Winston signed with the Chiefs, becoming one of the very few players to be released and then receive a "bigger" contract than he had owed to him. With cap money hard to come by, the Texans couldn't really find many proper solutions in free agency, so Houston instead had to look to the draft. It addressed wide receiver and outside linebacker in the early rounds, and brought in some fascinating interior linemen in the middle rounds, but it doesn't have an obvious challenger to Rashad Butler at right tackle at this point.
Butler, who was actually Winston's replacement at tackle at the University of Miami as well, does have a decent pedigree as a former third-round pick with the Carolina Panthers, but he doesn't have much in the way of NFL experience. He saw some snaps in 6-OL sets in 2010 and got four starts on the left side when Duane Brown was suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs. While he wasn't a disaster replacing Brown, and may even offer a slight upgrade on Winston in pass protection, it would be a surprise if he brought quite as much to the table in the running game. The only other in-house options are 2011 seventh-rounder Derek Newton and 2012 sixth-round pick Nick Mondek, both of whom are considered projects. Since Houston is also handing over right guard to Antoine Caldwell, a new right side could lead to some awkwardness as the offensive line learns to work together in game conditions.
Indianapolis Colts: Cornerback
The Colts completely revamped their offense in the draft, landing four quality offensive pieces in quarterback Andrew Luck, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen. However, a 2-14 team can't be rebuilt in one draft, and while the Colts did manage to snag a decent nose tackle prospect in Alabama's Josh Chapman, they didn't add much at all on defense. Indianapolis left the draft with no new cornerbacks and now has a logjam of unproven mediocrity at the position.
Last season, Indianapolis finished 26th in DVOA against No. 1 wide receivers, 27th against No. 2 wide receivers and 31st against other wide receivers. And the only change in personnel from then to now was the exile of Jacob Lacey, who played poorly enough last year to lose his starting job to the guys who are still in town.
Jerraud Powers has always done well by our metrics and will be back on the field after being bothered by a hamstring injury and shutting it down following a dislocated elbow in Week 13. Kevin Thomas, a 2012 third-round pick who has a lengthy injury history at both USC and in the pros, is the nominal second cornerback. Behind Thomas are 2011 sixth-rounder Chris Rucker and a pair of former undrafted free agents: Terrence Johnson and Brandon King. As the NFL continues to shift into a passing league, really good defenses are finding that having three credible cornerbacks is a necessity. The Colts are still stuck on one at this point.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Offensive line
The Jaguars came into the offseason with a couple of major holes that needed filling: wide receiver and defensive end. After spending their first two picks in the draft on Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon and Clemson defensive end Andre Branch, they have a lot more credibility at those positions. What they didn't address is the offensive line -- a strong run-blocking unit that did Blaine Gabbert no favors over the course of his nightmare rookie season.
Guy Whimper was one of the worst offensive tackles in the league last season -- FO's J.J. Cooper had a scathing column on his play last year -- and the only obstacle to keep him from starting at tackle again is Eben Britton, whom the Jaguars wanted to turn into a guard last season.
Will Rackley, a third-round pick in 2011, won the starting nod at left guard. He showed some flash in the running game, but also allowed 6.5 sacks and looked every bit as lost as Gabbert did in a few games. Eugene Monroe is solid at left tackle but lacks the edge speed to match the best rushers in the NFL. Brad Meester is 35, and not the type of 35 that gets you "wily old vet" mentions like Matt Birk or Jeff Saturday. This is a unit that could have used some more solidification rather than the blind hope that Britton's return from a back injury will heal all.
Tennessee Titans: Defensive end
The Titans came into the offseason, as we noted, with one of the weakest pass-rush units in the NFL. While they tinkered with the idea of signing Mario Williams, the one player who could instantly bring credibility to their rush, they abandoned that idea to pursue Peyton Manning, leaving Williams to sign with the Buffalo Bills. Forced to chase after second-tier rushers, the Titans signed Kamerion Wimbley after the Raiders set him free to atone for their salary-cap sins.
Wimbley isn't a bad player at all -- in fact, he's picked up 42.5 sacks in six years, which is pretty impressive. However, he's never played exclusively as a 4-3 defensive end, and as our own esteemed Tom Gower noted on his Total Titans blog, four of his seven sacks in 2011 came against woefully overmatched Chargers backup tackle Brandyn Dombrowski. Wimbley was a smart signing in light of the other options, but he's not exactly a sure thing.
If the Titans can get some production from either Wimbley or third-year end Derrick Morgan, that would go a long way toward shoring up their 31st-place ranking in Adjusted Sack Rate from 2011.
Rivers McCown is a writer for Football Outsiders.
Top pressing remaining needs for the Texans, Colts, Jaguars, Titans
Originally Published: May 9, 2012
By Rivers McCown | Football Outsiders
Houston's offensive line needs some help on the right side after Eric Winston's departure.
This is the third part of an eight-part series in which Football Outsiders looks at the biggest post-draft needs for every NFL team. This week will consist of the AFC teams, by division, while next week will focus on the NFC.
Today, Outsiders looks at the AFC South.
Houston Texans: Right tackle
In a move that raised eyebrows around the league, the Texans released the highly regarded Eric Winston prior to free agency. Winston signed with the Chiefs, becoming one of the very few players to be released and then receive a "bigger" contract than he had owed to him. With cap money hard to come by, the Texans couldn't really find many proper solutions in free agency, so Houston instead had to look to the draft. It addressed wide receiver and outside linebacker in the early rounds, and brought in some fascinating interior linemen in the middle rounds, but it doesn't have an obvious challenger to Rashad Butler at right tackle at this point.
Butler, who was actually Winston's replacement at tackle at the University of Miami as well, does have a decent pedigree as a former third-round pick with the Carolina Panthers, but he doesn't have much in the way of NFL experience. He saw some snaps in 6-OL sets in 2010 and got four starts on the left side when Duane Brown was suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs. While he wasn't a disaster replacing Brown, and may even offer a slight upgrade on Winston in pass protection, it would be a surprise if he brought quite as much to the table in the running game. The only other in-house options are 2011 seventh-rounder Derek Newton and 2012 sixth-round pick Nick Mondek, both of whom are considered projects. Since Houston is also handing over right guard to Antoine Caldwell, a new right side could lead to some awkwardness as the offensive line learns to work together in game conditions.
Indianapolis Colts: Cornerback
The Colts completely revamped their offense in the draft, landing four quality offensive pieces in quarterback Andrew Luck, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen. However, a 2-14 team can't be rebuilt in one draft, and while the Colts did manage to snag a decent nose tackle prospect in Alabama's Josh Chapman, they didn't add much at all on defense. Indianapolis left the draft with no new cornerbacks and now has a logjam of unproven mediocrity at the position.
Last season, Indianapolis finished 26th in DVOA against No. 1 wide receivers, 27th against No. 2 wide receivers and 31st against other wide receivers. And the only change in personnel from then to now was the exile of Jacob Lacey, who played poorly enough last year to lose his starting job to the guys who are still in town.
Jerraud Powers has always done well by our metrics and will be back on the field after being bothered by a hamstring injury and shutting it down following a dislocated elbow in Week 13. Kevin Thomas, a 2012 third-round pick who has a lengthy injury history at both USC and in the pros, is the nominal second cornerback. Behind Thomas are 2011 sixth-rounder Chris Rucker and a pair of former undrafted free agents: Terrence Johnson and Brandon King. As the NFL continues to shift into a passing league, really good defenses are finding that having three credible cornerbacks is a necessity. The Colts are still stuck on one at this point.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Offensive line
The Jaguars came into the offseason with a couple of major holes that needed filling: wide receiver and defensive end. After spending their first two picks in the draft on Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon and Clemson defensive end Andre Branch, they have a lot more credibility at those positions. What they didn't address is the offensive line -- a strong run-blocking unit that did Blaine Gabbert no favors over the course of his nightmare rookie season.
Guy Whimper was one of the worst offensive tackles in the league last season -- FO's J.J. Cooper had a scathing column on his play last year -- and the only obstacle to keep him from starting at tackle again is Eben Britton, whom the Jaguars wanted to turn into a guard last season.
Will Rackley, a third-round pick in 2011, won the starting nod at left guard. He showed some flash in the running game, but also allowed 6.5 sacks and looked every bit as lost as Gabbert did in a few games. Eugene Monroe is solid at left tackle but lacks the edge speed to match the best rushers in the NFL. Brad Meester is 35, and not the type of 35 that gets you "wily old vet" mentions like Matt Birk or Jeff Saturday. This is a unit that could have used some more solidification rather than the blind hope that Britton's return from a back injury will heal all.
Tennessee Titans: Defensive end
The Titans came into the offseason, as we noted, with one of the weakest pass-rush units in the NFL. While they tinkered with the idea of signing Mario Williams, the one player who could instantly bring credibility to their rush, they abandoned that idea to pursue Peyton Manning, leaving Williams to sign with the Buffalo Bills. Forced to chase after second-tier rushers, the Titans signed Kamerion Wimbley after the Raiders set him free to atone for their salary-cap sins.
Wimbley isn't a bad player at all -- in fact, he's picked up 42.5 sacks in six years, which is pretty impressive. However, he's never played exclusively as a 4-3 defensive end, and as our own esteemed Tom Gower noted on his Total Titans blog, four of his seven sacks in 2011 came against woefully overmatched Chargers backup tackle Brandyn Dombrowski. Wimbley was a smart signing in light of the other options, but he's not exactly a sure thing.
If the Titans can get some production from either Wimbley or third-year end Derrick Morgan, that would go a long way toward shoring up their 31st-place ranking in Adjusted Sack Rate from 2011.
Rivers McCown is a writer for Football Outsiders.
