NFL Rumors: What move does each team need to make this offseason?

One offseason move each NFL team must make

PITTSBURGH, PA -DECEMBER 16: Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) looks on during the NFL football game between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 16, 2018 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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Houston Texans-Sign OT Ja’Wuan James

Deshaun Watson started all 16 games last season, and performed fairly well coming back from a torn ACL (4,165 passing yards, 68.3 percent completion rate, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions; 551 rushing yards five touchdowns). Over the final 10 games of the regular season, he threw just two interceptions in 288 pass attempts, and those both came in the same game.

But Watson was also sacked a league-high 62 times last year, behind a bad offensive line. Some of that sack volume can be blamed on Watson’s mobility and/or holding the ball too long at times, but protecting the quarterback has to be No.1 in Houston’s offseason agenda. That’s where James comes in.

James has functioned well mostly as a right tackle over five seasons with the Miami Dolphins, and he’s coming off the best season of his career (just 26 pressures allowed, via Pro Football Focus). The former first-round pick is not yet 27 years old, so someone will pay up to get him based on upside.

Among a fairly thin group of free agent tackles, James should be a top target for more than a few teams. But the Texans have plenty of cap space to make a lucrative offer, to James or anyone, so cost is not going to be a barrier to upgrading Watson’s protection.

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