Texans pick up Super Bowl-winning WR Robert Woods, see Carolina take top pick in trade with Chicago

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The good news, Texans fans, is that Houston still has a top-two draft pick to select its next franchise QB.

The bad news, though, is that the options for head coach Demeco Ryans and company dwindled thanks to a blockbuster trade on Friday.

The Texans, who hold the No. 2 selection in next month’s NFL Draft, saw the Carolina Panthers leap-frog them and acquire the Chicago Bears’ No. 1 pick.

Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the Bears will receive Carolina’s No. 9 pick in this year’s draft, as well as a second-rounder, a first-rounder next year, a second-rounder in two years, and top-flight wide receiver DJ Moore.

Talks for the No. 1 pick intensified since last week’s NFL scouting combine, sources told Schefter, with multiple teams, including the Texans, also expressing interest in making a deal with Chicago.

The move is significant given the Panthers’ need for a quarterback. The swap makes it clearer that the team will likely use the top pick on that position.

Similarly, Houston is QB-needy and will be taking whatever is available to them regardless of whether it winds up with the No. 1 person on their board.

A mock draft by ESPN’s Todd McShay on March 7 ties Ohio State QB CJ Stroud with the Texans, a selection after Alabama QB Bryce Young, whom McShay predicted would be chosen by the Indianapolis Colts. Clearly, this aged poorly now.

Other QB prospects under consideration include Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis.

Texans add Super Bowl-winning receiver

Texans general manager Nick Caserio is tapping into the $40 million in the team’s projected salary cap space for 2023.

Caserio is reportedly signing former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Robert Woods. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports Woods is getting a two-year, $15.25 million deal, including $10 million fully guaranteed. He could make up to $17 million after incentives.

Woods, who turns 31 next month, was a 2013 second-round pick for Buffalo, where he spent his first four seasons. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams in 2017 and was part of their 2022 Super Bowl-winning roster.

The deal also reunites Woods with wideout Brandin Cooks. Both played in LA for two seasons in 2018 and 2019.