Texans ship Maliek Collins to 49ers as 2024 free-agent commitments become clear in Houston
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- While much of the chatter about the Houston Texans' proposed moves ahead free agency focused heavily on the offensive backfield, the reigning AFC South champs controlled their narrative - be aggressive on defense.
On Wednesday, a day after ESPN reported four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Danielle Hunter's deal with Houston, the Texans followed up with another move in the trenches by trading defensive tackle Maliek Collins to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a seventh-round pick.
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Collins, 28, who spent time with the Dallas Cowboys and the Las Vegas Raiders, started 16 games last season, posting career highs with five sacks, 41 total tackles, and 18 quarterback hits.
In addition to Hunter, Houston reportedly added two former Tennessee Titans, defensive lineman Denico Autry and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, to replace outgoing Texans free agents Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman.
Between Hunter, Autry, and Al-Shaair's signings, the Texans will commit more than $27 million in salary and bonuses to the trio, according to Spotrac. General manager Nick Caserio had a reported $63 million in salary cap space heading into this free-agency period.
All these moves pair up with foundational piece Defensive Rookie of the Year winner Will Anderson Jr.
On offense, Houston re-signed tight end Dalton Schultz to a three-year, $36 million deal and also pursued former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley to upgrade its rushing attack, which ranked 28th in yards per game last season. The Texans offered Barkley a multiyear contract worth more than $10 million per year over three years, according to a source, but the Philadelphia Eagles were able to land him at three years for $37.75 million.
The Texans also re-signed wide receiver Noah Brown, who was fourth in receiving yards on the team, to a one-year, $5 million deal to further continuity in the receiver room.
Houston didn't sign a running back to replace the loss of Devin Singletary, but Caserio was able to bring in 2021 Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon. The Texans traded a seventh-round pick for Mixon, who was reported to be released by the Cincinnati Bengals, on Tuesday.
Heading into his second season as a head coach, DeMeco Ryans said he wanted to build the Texans properly and find guys looking to compete as they prepare to "earn it again" - referring to the team's AFC South title and win in the first round of the playoffs, both firsts since 2019.
"Guys who have that relentless mindset, guys who want to go out and play for each other, guys who want to hunt, guys who want to play with relentless effort and finish," Ryans said. "That's what I'm looking to build as we start this offseason."
Wednesday kicked off the NFL's new league year and allowed teams to make signings official.
ESPN's D.J. Bien-Aime contributed to this report.
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