The NFL trade deadline is less than four days away, and the outcome of Sunday’s showdown between the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos could determine if the back-to-back AFC South champions will move toward adding a name or potentially off of several sitting two games below .500.
With the deadline coming next Tuesday, everyone has begun to wonder which players could be on the move. Some think it’s to free up cap space. Others believe it’s to better the roster en route to a postseason run.
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Could Houston be in the market for a name? If so, offensive line and tight end seem to be the top positions to target since Dalton Schultz has been dealing with limitations and the fact that there’s been a constant revolving door at left guard.
ESPN’s Seth Walder believes that if they were targeting anyone in a trade, it would be Las Vegas Raiders offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson.
“The move could be for him to play either guard spot or center, but Powers-Johnson is no sure bet. He ranks 65th out of 70 qualifying guards in pass block win rate (86.2%) and was benched during the Raiders’ loss to the Chiefs,” Walder wrote. “But he ranks eighth among guards in run block win rate (76.9%), and Houston could use run-blocking help in its interior. Plus, he’s still in his second season.
Already out of the running for a postseason push, Las Vegas is looking to move names not a part of the long-term future under new management. Powers-Johnson has started every game this season, but he’s rotated in between guard and center. Right guard seems to be the best fit, which remains the opposite of the Texans‘ weakness at left guard.
Does that take Houston out of the running? Not entirely, though switching sides is not as easy as fans claim it to be. Given that Powers-Johnson has played multiple positions already, it could be an easy flip over to the left side in Houston. That, or it could be a problem that only hurts Houston’s chances of bettering its trench play.
An argument to move for Powers-Johnson could become more plausible after Sunday’s matchup with the Broncos. Should Houston win, it must address multiple offensive needs to keep pace with the Indianapolis Colts for a division title.
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This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: ESPN names Raiders’ Jackson Powers-Johnson as Texans’ top trade target