Andre Johnson Injury: Why Houston Texans Need to Sign Randy Moss

According to John Clayton, Andre Johnson has left the game with an injury to his right knee. 

This was a non-contact injury, where Johnson fell to the ground grasping his knee. 

Johnson is the Texans' top offensive player and a locker room leader.  The status of Johnson's knee will be closely monitored by the entire NFL.  The Texans organization and fans are sitting on pins and needles, hoping for good news.

If Johnson is lost for a significant period of time, it would be a major loss.  The Texans are hoping to make a playoff run, which is very dependent on the play of Johnson.  After examining the Texans receiving depth chart, you will notice a major gap in talent after Johnson.

This unit has nice complementary pieces, but nobody capable of consistently making plays.  The replacement options on the roster include Jacoby Jones, Kevin Walter, and Bryant Johnson.  As I mentioned, none of these players will strike fear into opposing defenses.

Depending on the extent of the injury, the Houston Texans need to hit the free-agent market and find a replacement.  This season presents a unique opportunity for the Houston Texans, as an injury to Peyton Manning places them as the favorite in the AFC South.

Houston is "all in" which means they will need to replace Johnson if this is a significant injury.  Randy Moss is the only big-time threat available on the free agent market.  Adding Moss would be a controversial addition.

Moss has a ton of talent, but comes with plenty of baggage.  However, for a team desperate to make the playoffs, adding Moss would make some sense.  Moss wouldn't be able to completely replace Andre Johnson, but has the ability to open things up.

Adding Moss would make defense respect the deep ball.  This would open up the running game, as well as the underneath routes.  Moss might cause some locker issues, but his skills might be worth the gamble.

Jon Dove is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report, covering the NFL and NFL draft. Check him out on Twitter @Jon_Dove42.