Bill O'Brien Discusses Thinking Behind Jadeveon Clowney, Laremy Tunsil Trades

Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien is happy with the way his team is coming together after an aggressive weekend of trades. 

The squad acquired offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil from the Miami Dolphins while also dealing away Jadeveon Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks in a separate trade. 

"These moves were part of a plan, something that was well thought out," O'Brien said Monday, per Sarah Barshop of ESPN. "We spent a lot of time on it and tried to execute the plan. It's not just a plan to improve the team for 2019, it's a plan to improve the roster for years to come. It's given us the ability and flexibility to extend our core players while continuing to add and develop talent."

The coach was especially excited about adding a proven left tackle in Tunsil.

"We feel really good about being able to get a proven left tackle to protect Deshaun Watson," he said. "Laremy Tunsil is an excellent player."

The price was high on the trade with the Dolphins, dealing two first-round picks and a second-rounder as part of the deal, but the coaching staff believes this helped solidify what could be a quality offense in 2019.

However, there were more question marks about trading away Clowney, the 2014 No. 1 overall draft pick who had earned three straight Pro Bowl selections. The Texans added a third-round pick and two defenders in the deal with the Seahawks.

O'Brien didn't seem as thrilled about parting with the impact defender. 

"We think very highly of Jadeveon Clowney," the sixth-year head coach said. "Let's be clear about that. He's a good football player. He made a lot of good plays for us. He had a lot of good Sundays for us. No doubt about it. But we think we made the best decision for him and we feel like we made the best decision for our team moving forward."

The problem was Clowney was seeking a new deal and the two sides "just couldn't come to an agreement," as O'Brien explained.

With Houston also adding skill players Kenny Stills and Carlos Hyde Saturday to complement the offense, it was an active weekend for the front office heading into Week 1.