NFL Trade Rumors: Texans' Duke Johnson, Darren Fells Receiving Interest

The Houston Texans might be serious sellers before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline. 

With the team limping to a 1-5 start and already firing former head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien, Houston has been "engaged in conversation with a number of teams about dealing veterans by next week," per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. 

In particular, a number of offensive weapons could be on the move:

"Rival executives expect the Texans will trade at least one receiver by the deadline—Will Fuller and Brandin Cooks are the most talked about at this point—and are gauging the market for veteran pass rusher Whitney Mercilus. Running back Duke Johnson and tight end Darren Fells have also drawn some interest, and teams that have been in contact with Houston believe there is a definite willingness to shed some payroll and reposition the franchise for the future if possible."

La Canfora added that team owner Cal McNair has been "advised by several confidants to try to acquire more draft picks and ease the team's future salary-cap load if possible."

So changes are coming in Houston. 

Of the aforementioned group of players, Fuller may draw the most interest. He's 26, can take the top off a defense with his deep speed and has started well in 2020, catching 28 passes for 455 yards and four touchdowns in six games.

Across a full season, that translates to 74 receptions for 1,213 yards and 10 scores. 

Cooks and Fells would also be attractive potential trade targets. The 27-year-old Cooks has produced more consistently than Fuller throughout their respective careers, with four 1,000-yard seasons, though he wasn't particularly good last year (42 catches for 583 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games). He's been Deshaun Watson's No. 2 option this year. 

Fells, 34, could be a nice target for teams seeking tight end depth. He's having a career year, with 14 catches for 205 yards and three touchdowns. He set career highs in receptions (34), receiving yards (341) and touchdowns (seven) in his first season in Houston last year. 

Then there's Johnson, who has tantalized with running and receiving talent throughout his career but has never produced at an elite level. With David Johnson clearly entrenched as the feature back in Houston, Duke Johnson has been the forgotten man. The 27-year-old would be a nice complementary scatback for teams looking to bolster the backfield. 

Finally, the 30-year-old Mercilus has been up-and-down throughout his career, though he's notched four seasons with seven or more sacks. He's never quite returned to the level of play he flashed in 2015, however, when he posted 12 sacks.