[WARD UPDATE] Derrick Ward has signed a 4 year, $17 million contract with the Buccaneers.
[UPDATE] Benson seems like he really wants to play for the Texans. He clearly is placing a very high priority on the “business side” (and he should), but it sounds like his heart is definitely with the Texans… or with being closer to Austin.
[EDITOR'S NOTE] You can track free agents the Texans are rumored to have interest in, and free agents who are confirmed to visit the team by clicking “Free Agent Visits & Rumors” in the Offseason Central box.
If you see a report online about a potential free agent visit, shoot me an email and I’ll add it to the table if it passes my test(s).
The team is bringing in ex-Longhorn running back Cedric Benson for a free agent look. This would of course be a departure from their typical standard operating procedure of not chasing guys with character issues - but hey, the guy definitely fills a need. If he plays for Houston the way he did down the stretch for the Bengals in 2008, that would be a heck of a one-two punch. Still, I think someone’s going to open their wallet for Benson - but maybe he would take less to be closer to home? Interesting development here.
Honestly - even if he thinks he’s worth a ton, I think there’s a solid chance the Texans sign him. Apparently so far nobody has shown interest other than Cincinnati, and Houston is obviously a more attractive landing spot for him. I mean, it’s only three hours from uh… trouble.
Texans sniffing around Ward?
With little interest in his reported $4 million/year price tag, free agent RB Derrick Ward has reportedly dropped is price, and according to National Football Post - the Texans are among a new set of teams who may be interested in his services, depending on price of course.
The Texans are being more aggressive in free agency than I had expected. I think I’m glad about that. I can’t say I expected the Texans to even consider Cedric Benson or Derrick Ward.
Which one would you rather have? Benson is obviously younger and considering his unfulfilled potential, he has a higher ceiling. Ward however, seems less likely to be, well, you know… arrested.
Loading ...
Mar 2, 2009 at 00:07:23
I can’t believe they’re bringing in that pot-smoking hippie to visit Reliant Park!?! How dare they . . .
Oh who am I kidding? Sign him up tomorrow.
Mar 2, 2009 at 02:46:44
Frankly I like NEITHER. 28 y/o free agent RB? No thanks, target the mid rounds of the draft instead. And Cedric Benson… I can’t believe we’re even talking about the guy. I’ll take the “entire body of work” approach over the “surprising but limited recent success” approach when evaluating him.
Mar 2, 2009 at 06:14:34
You hit your head on the nail with “3 hours from trouble”. Also there’s the scare that he might be a bad influence on Steve Slaton. But after seeing him run against Pittsburgh, I’m leaning toward Benson, especially after McClain has said so many times there’s no way Benson will be in a Texans uniform.
Mar 2, 2009 at 07:58:00
You guys he is a former 1st rd pick with very low mileage
Mar 2, 2009 at 08:12:13
I like Ward the most but as I have said many times I would want him at the right price. Yes Ward is 28 and has some wear and tear, but it is not like ahman green was. He has 414 career carries and for somebody of that age that is not alot. That is two seasons of full time work. I think he has three years left in him to succeed.As chris mentioned earlier, he wants to come to houston. Size wise him and benson are similar in stature. but skill wise he is waaayyy farther than benson. Ward averaged 5.6 yards a carry, while benson average 3.5. The knock/the reason ward does not have a contract yet is people think that he is a product of the great oline of the giants. We have a good run blocking oline also. it is not like he will suck for us. He will not be consistently injured because he has low mileage. What it comes down to is the money aspect of it. How much does benson want?if he wants 2 million a year and we can get ward for 3 million a year it is worth paying 1 million more to get ward. If we can get benson for the veteran minimum and to get ward we have to pay 6 million a year to get him, Ward would not be worth it.I think the fact that ward has braught his price down is a good sign for us.
Mar 2, 2009 at 08:28:23
I’m cool with Benson over Ward, and here’s why.
Ward = no drafted RB, or at best a LATE rounder (p.J. Hill)
If we sign Benson, first of all keep in mind that, according to the Chronicle, all the charges he had last season were dropped, so, let’s keep it “innocent til proven guilty”.
That said, Ced IS guilty of inconsistency, so I think signing him will mean a two-year deal at most and we still draft a running back in the mid rounds. Unfortunately, this probably would keep us from drafting Andre Brown, now a 3rd round lock with his 4.49 at the Combine.
So, Ced = we still draft Gartrell Johnson, and see if Benson pans out while making our new power back better and keeping him as fresh as possible.
I think best case scenario would be Benson pans out, and Benson/rookie power back make a solid power running attack where the RB stays fresh while the Defense gets tired out, meanwhile Slaton takes on a Darren Sproles/Brian Westbrook role as the screen pass home run back.
Mar 2, 2009 at 10:15:29
Chris,
Great post, I think that Benson is a better fit for what the Texans need. Cedric’s lack of top end speed really works against him for becoming a starter back in the leauge again. I have always loved his vision and the fact he sticks his face in there. While he isnt the pass catcher Ward is, he is younger and more of the inside runner the Texans need.
With Ward the there arent many knocks, with the exception of cost. I think Ward would be a good fit, I just feel like the Texans could get Benson at a cheaper price. I like both backs, as players and of course worry about Cedric being back in his home state where most of his troubles have been.
Sorry I havent been able to get by here as much as I want, I promise to grace your site much more. Send me an e-mail when ever you get a new topic and I will post a link on the fan blog at the Chronicle.
Go Texans!
JLR
Mar 2, 2009 at 13:04:52
More importantly, what does Emmitt Smith think of these two guys?
Mar 2, 2009 at 19:33:10
Texans perfect fit was Maurice Morris but they lost him to the Lions. Now they will play the waiting game, wait and see which back they can get at the money they are willing to pay. Benson and Ward are in it obviously. Some other names that would make sense and are potentially in play LT depending on what happens in San Deigo, Ricky Williams (who maybe a cap cut) and LaMont Jordan. Age isn’t a big factor for a RB who you want to be the change of pace, up the cut, short yardage guy. You are only talking about a guy to carry the ball maybe 150-175 times next year.
I would assume that after they land a RB they may start looking into an improved #2 WR and potentially trading Jacoby Jones. I wonder if Limus Sweed could be had for a 4th round pick? Sweed is suffering the exact same problems A.Johnson had his first few years. If Sweed straightened out……..OH MY!!!
Mar 2, 2009 at 20:55:51
I’d like to see the Texans sign Benson at the right price, but I’m not so keen on Ward. While he hasn’t been ridden to death, neither has Benson, and Benson didn’t have the benefit of that all-world line in New York. The two year age difference in Benson’s favor helps as well. If they can land either of them, though, it definitely gives them the ability to go BPA in the draft. Most preferably by trading back.
Mar 2, 2009 at 21:20:20
How many times do we have to get burnt by old RB’s before we learn? I don’t care how much tread he has on his tires, ward is 28. In my book, case closed.
If we could get Benson for the right price, I’d be ok with it. No one is obviously beating dwn his door and it sounds like he would be willing to take a slight pay cut to play here. There’s a lot of people who think he would be good at as a one-cut back in a zone blocking scheme, and I tend to agree.
Also, we can still target Gartrell in the draft because he’s a RB/FB hybrid. Kubiak usually keeps two FB’s on his roster, but at the moment he’s only got Leach. If Benson didn’t work out, you can stick in Johnson. If he did, you’ve got two capable FB’s which Kubiak likes.