Travis Johnson on the Trading Block [Sent to Chargers for 6th, poss. 5th w/play time]
 

According to a former Browns and Ravens scout who tweets as @MovetheSticks on Twitter, "the Texans are actively shopping Travis Johnson".

err... okay, but after the Saints debacle, I thought we might actually need this guy this season. I wonder what the asking price would be on Travis. He was a first round pick in a somewhat soft draft class for elite defensive tackles. He is still just 27, kinda young (though not Amobinfantile of course).

I'm not sure whether he markets better to a 3-4 or a 4-3 team honestly. I pegged him as a 4-3 guy myself, but I wonder if Dom Capers in Green Bay or someone else with a 3-4 might be interested, too.

I dont see many teams looking into this very heavily, mostly becuase he is comming off surgery.

I wonder what they are looking to get in return? Another DT or CB are the only spots I can really see the Texans shopping for. Perhaps TJ and one of our recievers could net a better DT.

I also never understood why he was drafted to play NT in a 3-4, he is barely big enough to play NT in a 4-3.

He is more of an end in a 3-4 imo.

I tried asking Daniel what the market was for Travis. His latest post on the subject only says: "I don't see the Texans getting a whole lot in return for Travis Johnson. Out of shape, lazy and non-aggressive."

Well, yeah. If he wasn't those things, he wouldn't be on the trading block.

So either someone out there has to know and like him, or the Texans are getting very little in return for him. I think I'd rather keep him, warts and all, at this point. But maybe Shaun Cody has made him irrelevant and the extra roster spot at DT just isn't available.

He's the type of player I could see NE taking and turning into a legitimate rotation player (like they did with Gaffney.)

He's not exactly a bust, he just never lived up to his draft status. If he could find a spot on a winning team, preferably a 3-4 team, I think he could be a valuable addition. I also like your suggestion of GB with the Dom Capers and 3-4 connections. Either place would be a good spot for him.

I wonder if we're looking for a pick or a player in return. If it's a player, I would love to get a beefy NT or a RB.

Travis Johnson for Laurence Maroney, anyone?

It's too bad Charlie Casserly isn't employed as GM somewhere in the NFL.

TJ is a 3-technique 4-3 DT, in the same general category as Okoye & Cody.
That's one of the reasons a lot of people were wondering why the hell Capers
wanted him drafted to play in his 3-4 ?
I dunno why we'd be shopping him now though, since we're so desperate at
DT and he along with DeLuan R. might be our best 2 DTs I'm sorry to say.

i'd be pissed off if the texans weren't actively shopping him.

gimme a 4th and call it done...on your bike TJ!

That is how I see him. A Gary Walker type 3-4 DE. Or a 4-3 UnderTackle, oh wait that is Okoya's crowned starting spot.

Poor Travis has been out of position since we took him.

And how will this end? We'll just cut him.

Likely. I'd be offering him to KC and Denver since their 3-4 conversions are not going very well and they have a surplus of 4-3 players who aren't 3-4 bodies.

When you mention KC and its conversion to the 3-4, I can't help but think of the former great LSU 4-3 DT, Glenn Dorsey. And he was a great player at LSU, which of course is in the college conference which is the closet thing to the NFL. Most rated him the best defensive player in that conference not just one but the last two years he was there.
Well he's not doing very good at KC (and even had a disappointing rookie season at KC in their 4-3 according to reports I've seen), man I'd like to give him a shot here considering how badly we need help at DT. But that's probably just wishful thinking on my part knowing how expensive he'd be with that big 5th overall draft-pick contract he's packing ?

Speculating here, but I think a 4th is a pipe dream unless we bundle Travis with Jacoby Jones and ship 'em both to the Jets.

texans shopping DT travis johnson

Broncos message board for your possible amusement.

My feeling is that if the Texans really don't plan to carry him on the 53 man roster, there will be some team come a calling for his services.

It's done, Travis Johnson is traded to the Chargers. Terms are still undisclosed.

Here is the link

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...t/6595265.html


That makes one less person we need to cut. Crappy return on investment.

Too bad Casserly hasn't been rehired, the price would have been a 2nd and 3rd.

Does seem a little low of a return, guess they were tired of the ongoing injuries.

"The Texans dealt Johnson for a conditional draft choice that could be a fifth- or sixth-round pick, depending on his performance."
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That's disappointing, actually depressing that the best case scenario nets us a 5th round pick.
We'll that's the end of a big mistake from the Casserly-Capers era, lets just hope that we don't see a similar ending in the the Smith-Kubiak era to the Amobi Okoye experiment ?
BTW, I'm surprised that TJ ends up in a defense like the one he started out in here in Houston ? Most everything I'd read about TJ was that he was a
one-gap 4-3 DT ?

I think it had more to do with his average at best play. I think that's probably about all you can expect to get for a run of the mill DT. Draft position doesn't mean a thing after a few years in the league.

I'm sure there will be a lot of rejoicing about Travis Johnson being gone, but if he's really been hampered by an undiagnosed sports hernia for the last few years we could end up regretting this down the road if he goes from below average to above average....I've course I thought the Rockets would miss Rafer when they sent him packing and was completely wrong there so we're probably good.

I guess this proves me wrong about the Texans FO liking him more than the fans do though.