The Houston Texans are 0-4 to begin their season, and that’s certainly not the look any NFL team wants. Even if it’s early, that’s a full month of games lost, and it’s just a bad sign for this once-promising team. If the Texans want to get to the playoffs, they probably need to do something drastic.
Trading for a $90 million defensive star would certainly count as a drastic move. So, going into Week 5, the Texans are looking for their first win, and a blockbuster trade could help. Now, one NFL analyst believes the Texans should target a popular defensive player to help bolster their defense heading into the rest of the season.
The Houston Texans could target Daron Payne
In a Bleacher Report piece released on Tuesday, Alex Kay lays out trade ideas for each of the teams that haven’t won a single matchup. Here, he says the Texans should look at trading for defensive lineman Daron Payne.
In the trade idea, the Texans get Payne and the Washington Commanders receive 2027 fourth- and fifth-round draft picks.
“The defense has been a surprising weak point for this franchise and cratered in a must-win Week 4 matchup against the in-state rival Dallas Cowboys,” he points out in the feature.
Payne’s current deal is worth $90 million, according to Spotrac. But he’s in the later part of his career, so you’d be getting a veteran toward the end of his deal.
“Daron Payne could be the needle-mover the Texans need right now,” he adds. “He’s squandering his prime on a listless Washington Commanders team that is 1-3 and trending towards another lost season.”
He continues, “While he’ll face a tall task getting Houston back into contention, the AFC South race is winnable and the Texans have most of the other pieces in place required to make history.”
It would certainly help Houston to get a veteran like Payne on their roster. But it also has to make financial sense.
