Houston Texans: How DeMeco Ryans Trade Shakes Up Texans' Offseason Plans

DeMeco Ryans was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles today for a mid-round pick, and one has to wonder what the Houston Texans were thinking.

With no heir apparent, the Texans are going to have to scramble to fill yet another need. All offseason, the Texans have let players go with no replacement in sight, cutting Eric Winston and failing to re-sign Mike Brisiel.

At least they got something for Ryans.

The Texans' actions this offseason have been baffling. Still, after a great offseason in 2011, the Texans have earned the benefit of the doubt. One has to assume they have a plan in place.

Their actions do seem to have a common theme, focusing on creating cap space. They are wise to do this with Connor Barwin, Duane Brown and Matt Schaub all becoming free agents in 2013.

Ryans counted $7.4 million against the cap, and letting him and Winston go makes these pending negotiations less daunting.

Still, the Texans don't seem to have any replacements for Brisiel, Winston or Ryans on the roster. This is a major problem for a team that is not far from contending for a championship.

There are answers available though, either through the draft or free agency.

At inside linebacker, the Texans could take a hard look at Baltimore Ravens linebacker Jameel McClain, who would be a great complement to Brian Cushing on the inside. His ability to take on blockers would give Cushing more room to make plays all over the field.

In the draft, the Texans could look at Dont'a Hightower, who played in a 3-4 in college and would provide a long-term answer at the position.

The situation along the offensive line is a little more difficult to decipher. The Texans have a few young prospects that could step up, including Antoine Caldwell and Derek Newton. Rashad Butler could also step in at tackle if necessary.

Unfortunately for the Texans, this year's top offensive line prospects are better suited for a power blocking scheme than the zone scheme that the Texans employ so effectively.

Jake Scott could be an option at guard in free agency, but unfortunately there are no legitimate starters at tackle available in free agency. The Texans are going to have to either settle for a lesser talent or find a diamond in the rough in the draft.

All in all, the Texans are not better now than they were at the start of the offseason and that's a major problem.

They might not find solutions to all the problems they've created for themselves, and they'll need to make some solid moves to ensure their place among the AFC's elite in 2012.