The week before last year’s NFL trade deadline, Bill O’Brien made one of his worst moves as the leader of the Texans’ front office.
Indianapolis quarterback Jacoby Brissett shredded the Texans in a Week 7 game as Houston shuffled through defensive backs because of injuries, so the next day, O’Brien dealt a third-round pick for cornerback Gareon Conley. A former first-round selection of the Raiders, Conley played well in eight games with the Texans, but the team declined his fifth-year option, making the 2020 season a contract year — and things have since gone downhill.
After undergoing offseason ankle surgery, Conley began this season on IR, and interim head coach Romeo Crennel said Monday that he isn’t close to returning.
So in retrospect, the Conley trade represents the exact team-building strategy that helped get O’Brien fired: mortgaging the future for a present that isn’t worthwhile.
Because the…
