Losing Nick Caserio appears to be helping Patriots and hurting Texans
By Mike Luciano
The New England Patriots underwent a ton of turnover this offseason, and one of the more high-profile subtractions was former director of player personnel Nick Caserio.
Caserio left his spot as Bill Belichick’s right-hand man to take the job as the GM of the Houston Texans under Cal McNair and alongside the NFL’s most unusual executive in Jack Easterby.
Though he nearly had the job last year before the request was blocked, this time around he was thrown into a very tricky situation.
The team went 4-12 in spite of having an elite quarterback in Deshaun Watson, and his trade request and pending legal situation will make it tough to envision him starting Week 1 for the Texans. Despite that, Caserio hasn’t done much to instill any optimism.
After one New England castoff in Bill O’Brien wore out his welcome, the Texans responded by letting Caserio come in and sign a bunch of veteran players to cheap one-year deals, including some former Patriots.
After acquiring offensive lineman Marcus Cannon via trade, Houston signed running back Rex Burkhead, putting him in an already crowded backfield that features former 1,000-yard rusher Philip Lindsay, the key return in the DeAndre Hopkins trade in David Johnson, and a wily veteran in Mark Ingram. What the heck is he doing here?
Here's a look at the Texans' backfield following the signing of Rex Burkhead: David Johnson, Mark Ingram, Philip Lindsay, Rex Burkhead and Dontrell Hilliard.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) June 1, 2021
The roster overhaul by GM Nick Caserio continues with a heavy dose of veteran free agent additions.
Former Patriots executive Nick Caserio has made odd moves in Houston.
His wide receiver signings have been equally as baffling, as they currently have 11 players with NFL experience on the roster, almost all of whom are on cheap short-term deals. This has all the telltale warning signs of a team that is looking to bottom out and contend for the top pick in the draft next season.
Belichick was beaten up relentlessly for his poor drafting over the last few years, but Caserio had a hand in shaping those plans. Though he had limited capital in his first Houston draft, he failed in his first go-round as the chief decision-maker.
With two third-round picks, he took a quarterback in Davis Mills that no one expects to be a franchise guy and a receiver in Nico Collins that will be buried behind veterans on the depth chart.
The Patriots, meanwhile, had one of their best-received drafts in years, landing a potential franchise quarterback in Mac Jones while drafting two defensive steals in Alabama’s Christian Barmore and Oklahoma’s Ronnie Perkins. Amazing how they turned their draft luck around as soon as Caserio left.
The Watson scenario has made things hard for Caserio, but he isn’t doing himself any favors by constructing a roster as odd as this. The Patriots turned things around in 45 minutes after losing Caserio, while the Texans might be eyeing the No. 1 pick.
