NFL Rumors: Houston Texans Looking to Sign Peyton Manning?

The Houston Texans should have beaten down Peyton Manning’s door by now, but better late than never, right? According to Mike Klis of The Denver Post, the Texans have finally reached out to Manning to gauge his interest in joining the team.

I believe that if Manning joins Houston, that automatically makes them a Super Bowl contender, if not the favorite. The Texans were riddled with injuries in 2011, and if wide receiver Andre Johnson and running back Arian Foster stay healthy for the entire season, I see no reason why the Texans can’t win it all.

They have a very solid defense with a pair of great linebackers in Brian Cushing and DeMeco Ryans. Johnson is one of the league’s premier receivers and Foster has emerged as one of the NFL’s top running backs.

Adding a healthy Peyton Manning to the team could send them over the top.

In 2011, Houston finished 13th in total offense and 18th in passing. With Manning under center, those numbers should improve by five spots or so.

While in Indy, Manning never truly had a solid defense. The Colts defense was built on speed and quickness, not burly toughness. They had two amazing edge rushers in Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney and a scrappy, small safety in Bob Sanders, and Manning was able to win one Super Bowl.

If he has the same type of offensive firepower in Houston and a tougher defense, there is no reason to believe that he can’t lift the Texans to a Super Bowl win. The team could be without free agent defensive end/linebacker Mario Williams, but there is enough talent there to make a run at a title.

The Texans may place themselves in a peculiar situation by signing Manning and trading current starting quarterback Matt Schaub. If that happens and Manning is too hurt to play or re-injuries himself, they will have to start all over again at quarterback. There is no forward-thinking or long-term vision involved in a decision like this; it's simply a "right now" type of move.

Houston wants to win immediately and seems to be willing to make the necessary decisions to do precisely that.

Who knows what may happen for them post-2012 if Manning comes to Houston, but the possibilities may be too grand for them to pass up.