'Accumulate Great Players': Greg Olsen Talks 1-on-1 on Texans Rebuild Strategy
HOUSTON -- Nick Caserio hates to say that the Houston Texans are in a rebuild. Instead, he calls it a "process.''
Step 1 of the process was to find foundational pieces via free agency. The second part is adding young cornerstones pieces via the NFL Draft. Nine new Texans were drafted over the three-day weekend for Houston, plus 10 more on the practice squad.
Is that enough for Houston to feel content in part of the process? How do teams expand on lackluster seasons without being able to land premier stars in free agency?
"You have to accumulate great players," retired Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen tells TexansDaily.com in an interview sponsored by Thorne. "It doesn't matter if it's the fifth pick and you have a quarterback, take him. If it's a left tackle, you take him. A pass rusher? Take him.
"Any time you're in a rebuild, you need to accumulate great players."
Olsen spent nine seasons as a member of the Carolina Panthers during his 14-year career. Some of those teams were built to win from the get-go while others took a step back in the process of looking at the bigger picture.
With Olsen being a fan favorite and top weapon for MVP quarterback Cam Newton, Carolina made the postseason four times, including representing the NFC in Super Bowl 50. The Panthers also had five seasons of sub .500 play, leading the front office back to the drawing board.
Olsen pointed out the difference between landing players in free agency and landing them on draft weekend. Players who sign to join a roster usually come with a steep contract and could be viewed as only rentals. When drafting a player, a team owns their rights for multiple seasons and pay them on a rookie salary, thus allowing a franchise to spend on veteran talent at an affordable rate.
"You lock them up for four years and on some cases five years, and in relative terms, very cheap," Olsen said. "It's a great way to build the talent up on your roster, and it doesn't take up a ton of your cap space, which allows you acquire more and more players."
Houston re-signed 16 players this offseason from the 2021 roster. It also added in versitialte veterans such as linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, safety MJ Stewart, defensive end Rasheem Green and running back Marlon Mack.
Of course, the focus as of late will be on the incoming draft class and which prospects will find an early role in 2022. It is highly expected that both LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and Texas A&M offensive lineman Kenyon Green will start on the outside and at left guard, respectively.
Other rookies, such as Baylor safety Jalen Pitre, Alabama linebacker Christian Harris, Florida running back Dameon Pierce, and Alabama receiver John Metchie III could work their way into the starting lineup by midseason. Metchie might be the wild card as he still is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in the SEC Championship game back in December.
Olsen said that every time a team enters a rebuild, it usually cuts the expensive players or trades them for more draft capital. It's about getting younger and faster while also becoming affordable.
Several of Caserio's deal will take a cap-space toll over the next several seasons, but the Texans remained in the salary-friendly-deals business once again this offseason. Entering 2023, Houston will have $97.3 million in space. Caserio already has said that next season would be the year to watch them splurge in free agency.
For now, Houston looks to build from within, a plan Olsen has seen work in the league many times before.
"The more I can get those guys under contract, I have their rights for four or five years with the option, and I'm not looking to pay guys the big bucks," Olsen said.
"Once you feel like you've brought in that young core of young players that you feel is your future, you can now strategically because you have all this free cap space, you can now pluck a veteran here or there and back fill your roster with some experience and with some veteran to tie in all those young guys."
This interview with Greg Olsen was sponsored by Thorne HealthTech, Inc. For more information on Thorne and its products, please visit Thorne.com.
