The Houston Texans had a very busy offseason last year, and part of their haul was signing defensive lineman Denico Autry to a two-year, $20 million contract.
It looked like a great deal at the time, as Autry was coming off of a fantastic 2023 campaign with the Tennessee Titans in which he racked up 50 tackes and 11.5 sacks.
However, Autry has turned out to be a disaster of an acquisition for the Texans.
The 34-year-old began the 2024 season suspended for six times after violating the NFL' s performance-enhancing drugs policy. Then, upon returning, Autry was a relative non-factor, logging just 13 tackles and three sacks in 10 games.
Houston would free up $6 million in cap space if it cuts Autry this offseason, and that is exactly what Devon Platana of House of Houston is urging the club to do, going as far as calling the potential move "addition by subtraction."
"It's more than understandable if the Texans don't want to pay Autry $9 million in cash next season after his abysmal performances," Platana wrote. "His outlook is even grimmer considering that he'll be turning 35 years old in July, meaning his regression will likely continue."
Houston is actually a very strong defensive ballclub and has plenty of depth on that side of the ball, so releasing Autry would not hurt the Texans.
That being said, it will definitely sting, as it looked like Houston had landed one heck of a player when it signed him last March.
