Bradley Roby's Deal Same as Texans Shed in Trading Hopkins

Former Ohio State cornerback cashes in after one season in Houston

Bradley Roby bet on himself and now the former Buckeye is cashing in, although the timing may not be the best for his fan base to embrace it.

Roby, who made All-Big Ten for Ohio State in Urban Meyer's second season in 2013, has agreed to a three-year, $36-million contract with the Houston Texans.

That keeps Roby, a first-round pick in Denver in 2014, on the Texans after a season in which he played under a one-year, prove-it deal after coming over as a free agent from the Broncos.

Houston obviously liked what it saw from Roby despite him missing six games with a hamstring injury.

Pro Football Focus ranked Roby the sixth-best cornerback available in free agency and the 68th free agent overall.

The Texans spent on him, but riled their fan base by electing not to spend the $40 million left on the contract of star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was signed for three more years.

Obviously, Roby and Hopkins play different positions, but there's no comparison between their popularity or impact on the Texans last season.

Houston traded Hopkins to Arizona on Tuesday for former All-Pro running back David Johnson.

The trade seems a head-scratcher until factoring in that Hopkins wanted to renegotiate his deal and Texans coach/GM Bill O'Brien didn't want to set that precedent with three years remaining.

So, O'Brien moved to solidify one cornerback spot with essentially the same financial and term commitment to Roby that remained on the deal it escaped by trading Hopkins.

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