The Texans have re-signed 28-year old WR Kevin Walter to a 5-year, $21.5 million dollar deal with $8 million bucks guaranteed.  Walter played in 14 games for the Texans last season and he caught 53 passes for 611 yards (11.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 26 yards (6.5 ypc) for the Texans last season.  Walter has now played in 62 games in his four years with the Texans and he has caught 195 passes for 2,470 yards (12.7 avg) with 14 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 13 times for 82 yards (6.3 ypc) in his time with the Texans.  This was a great move for the Texans because a lot of teams were very interested in stealing Walter away from them.

The Texans need they were going to have a great offense in 2009 so they focused on defense last April.  LB Brian Cushing (1st round, #15 overall) out of USC was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL in 2009.  Cushing played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he finished with 134 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 10 passes defensed and 4 interceptions.  He was not only the best pick in the first round of the NFL Draft but he is already one of the best defensive players in the league.  DE Connor Barwin (2nd round, #46 overall) out of Cincinnati has the potential to be a solid player down the road for the Texans.  He played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he finished up with 18 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3.5 sacks and 4 passes defensed.  In the third round (#77 overall) the Texans selected guard Antoine Caldwell out of Alabama.  Caldwell played in 11 games (3 starts) for the Texans last season and he has the potential to be a starter down the road for the Texans.  CB Glover Quin (4th round, #112 overall) out of New Mexico was a solid player for the Texans as a rookie.  He played in 15 games for the Texans last season and he finished with 68 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss and he defensed 11 passes.  Quin will likely be a impact player in the near future for the Texans when he starts picking off some passes.  TE Anthony Hill (4th round, #122 overall) out of North Carolina State only played in 5 games making 1 catch for 9 yards.  Fellow TE James Casey (5th round, #152 overall) out of Rice played in 15 games for the Texans as a rookie and he caught 6 passes for 64 yards (10.7 avg).  He also returned 1 kickoff for 0 yards and he made 6 tackles.  CB Brian McCain (6th round, #188 overall) out of Utah played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he finished up with 15 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Safety Troy Nolan (7th round, #223 overall) out of Arizona State spend his rookie season on the Injured Reserve List. 

GRADE FOR 2009:  A-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A

28-year old Matt Schaub finally stayed healthy for a complete season and he put up staggering numbers.  Schaub played in 16 games for the Texans this season and he completed 396 of 583 passes (67.9%) for 4,770 yards with 29 TD passes and 15 INTs (98.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 48 times for 57 yards (1.2 ypc) this year.  Schaub got robbed for the Pro Bowl as he outplayed Tom Brady.  Maybe he will make it next season if he has another year like he did in 2009.  Schaub has now played in 76 games in his NFL career and he has completed 923 of 1,413 passes (65.3%) for 11,087 yards with 59 TD passes and 40 INTs (91.3 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 120 times for 300 yards (2.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.

29-year old Rex Grossman was the only other Texans’ QB to get on the field this season.  He played in 1 game and he completed 3 of 9 passes (33.3%) for 33 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (5.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the football 3 times for 9 yards (3.0 ypc) this season.  Grossman has now played in 37 games in his NFL career and he has completed 524 of 971 passes (54%) for 6,197 yards with 33 TD passes and 36 INTs (69.5 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 58 times for 89 yards (1.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  The Texans will probably stick with Dan Orlovsky as the back-up QB in 2010 and let Grossman go.

Linebacker Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans has won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.  Cushing played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he made 134 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, forced 2 fumbles, defensed 10 passes and he intercepted four passes.  The Texans have really done a good job of drafting the last few years and they need to keep up the good work.