The Houston Texans, after their victory over the Tennessee Titans in Week 5, made the rumors official with their trade of Marvin Harrison Jr. being confirmed by head coach DeMeco Ryans at the podium.
The rumors were pointing towards the Texans being the mystery team to actually land Harrison, with their trade seemingly contingent on beating the Titans to get to 1-4 this weekend. But how did they do in the trade itself?
ESPN’s Seth Walder handed the Texans a C+ grade for the Harrison deal, quite an underwhelming mark for Houston. But this is entirely justified for a few reasons, with the team’s needs, the cost, and the team’s current situation making this a bit of a questionable trade for the Texans.
Texans get underwhelming, but deserved, C+ grade for Marvin Harrison Jr. trade
“Texans get: Marvin Harrison Jr., 2027 seventh-round pick; Cardinals get: 2027 second-round pick, 2027 sixth-round pick. Texans grade: C+. Cardinals: A-,” Walder writes. “… Ultimately, I would not have made this trade if I were the Texans because the odds of Harrison breaking out immediately feel too low to justify the compensation.”
Walder gave the Texans a low grade for this trade due to the compensation heading Arizona’s way. A 2027 second-round pick for a receiver struggling as much as Harrison has is a lot to give up.
The only way this trade ends up being worth it for the Texans is if Harrison is able to return to his Ohio State days and play at an extremely high level.
Harrison can return to form, especially by linking up with his college quarterback once again. But his tape and play over the last few seasons don’t really instill a ton of confidence.
Besides, the Texans have a lot of receivers on the roster already. Nico Collins is back from injury, Jaylin Noel is performing well, Xavier Hutchinson is a quality target, Dalton Schultz is a good receiving tight end, and trade pickup Kayshon Boutte is helping out.
That pass-catching group was already in a decent spot, especially if Tank Dell could return at some point this season. But now, they’re spending another premium asset on a WR, this time on a third-year WR who’s struggled mightily this year so far.
A C+ grade might seem harsh, but this grade could be even lower with some simple justification. There is a lot of risk with this Texans’ trade, and that’s without even mentioning the Texans’ 1-4 record through five weeks.
They’re better than their record states, but this team could easily miss the playoffs this year, and that second-rounder is inside the top-40 picks, which would be a lot to give up for Harrison.
