3 Former Patriots the Texans Will Target After Nick Caserio Hiring

The Houston Texans never seem to be shy about their attempts to emulate the NFL's most recent dynasty. From Bill O'Brien to Romeo Crennel to new general manager Nick Caserio, the New England Patriots pipeline remains strong in Houston.

Caserio spent the last 12 years as the director of player personnel in New England, and you can expect him to have plenty of connections and insight into former Patriots.

Leveraging that, here are three former Patriots the Texans could be acquiring in the 2021 NFL offseason.

1. Joe Thuney, Guard

Signing Joe Thuney in free agency would provide a big upgrade to the Texans' offensive line. / Mark Brown/Getty Images

Joe Thuney was one of the last season's hottest free agents before the Patriots used the franchise tag to keep him around for one more year. Now set to be an unrestricted free agent, the 2019 second-team All-Pro would provide a much-needed boost on an offensive line that checked in at just 26th in run blocking in 2020, according to ProFootballFocus. With the likely departure of J.J. Watt freeing up $17.5 million in cap space, the Texans also shouldn't have too much trouble affording Thuney.

2. James White, Running Back

The Patriots' James White could be a Houston Texans free agent target this offseason. / Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

No longer invested in the sunk cost from trading for him, the Houston Texans can save some cap space by releasing Duke Johnson this offseason. Releasing your RB2 when your starter is the oft-injured David Johnson may not seem like a great idea, but it would be viable if they replaced Duke with James White. White proved in 2020 that his impressive receiving numbers weren't all tied to Tom brady, turning 62 targets into 49 receptions while adding 121 yards on 35 carries. White proved to be the best player from the Patriots' 2014 draft class, and Caserio is sure to know it.

3. Cordarrelle Patterson

Cordarrelle Patterson could be a Texans free agent target. / Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Another "running back" option if Caserio doesn't target White would be RB/WR/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson. Caserio and the Patriots signed Patterson back in 2018, and they were the first team that really seemed to grasp his offensive versatility. His 28 targets in 2018 were the second-fewest he had seen in any of his six NFL seasons up to that point, but his 42 rushes were only 2 fewer than he had racked up in the previous five seasons combined. Additionally, Patterson is quietly one of the best kick returners in NFL history, as a three-time All-Pro (and possibly four-time when the 2020 picks are made, as he led the NFL in kick return yards again).

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.