Battle Red Blog
It’s time to turn the red lights on for Green
The Kenyon Green experience has been a failure. What’s worse is that the Texans elected to trade back two spots, and the two players that were selected were DT Jordan Davis and All-Pro Safety Kyle Hamilton. Between the injuries and poor play on the field, Green is trending towards the biggest draft bust since Amobi Okoye in 2007.
The third year rookie single-handedly almost cost the Houston Texans the game against the Indianapolis Colts. It’s clear that any defensive tackle with a modicum of size and speed is an undeniable mismatch for Green. His feet are more stuck in quicksand than Indiana Jones in the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (horrible movie). There’s simply no coordination between his feet and his hands when trying to strike.
Considering he missed all of last season and is weighing down an already mediocre offensive line, Houston must cut their losses. They’ve already over-invested in the offensive line already, but it’s to the point where this single positional deficit is impacting the entire team and putting QB C.J. Stroud at risk.
With that, it’s time to look in other directions. There aren’t any guards on the free agent market who could be signed and start right away. The Texans best hope is testing the trade market and giving up draft capital.
Here’s a list of the most recent trades for offensive guards. Somehow, Houston encompasses three of the last seven trades... and this is still a problem.
Houston doesn’t need to pony up top-end draft capital to acquire a top end guard. Most of the guards traded are mid-tier, but that may be enough to fix the issue.
Ideally, Houston can shell out a day-three draft pick for one of the below starting guards. According to Spotrac, there hasn't been a trade where an offensive guard was dealt for anything more than a fourth rounder (plus additional draft compensation) since 2020. AKA - Houston could fill the starting left guard spot for a fifth rounder. Fortunately, Texans have one.
Dylan Parham, OG - Las Vegas Raiders (2-6)
Contract: four years, $5.1M (rookie contract)
Currently injured - foot injury
Age: 25
Bio: A third-year guard, Parham has experience playing both guard spots. He has been a plug-and-play option for the Raiders since being drafted and can truly play all three interior spots. His true home is left guard, but second-year lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson has needed to play right guard.
Why he fits: While he’s dealing with a lingering foot injury that has kept him out of the last two games, Parham has been one of the more consistent players on the horrid Raiders. Parham was drafted in the third round of the 2022 draft (same year as Green) and has the mix of pass blocking and run blocking needed to excel in the Bobby Slowik offense. Parham is a better run blocker than pass blocker and has had an excellent third season. Houston could get...
