TAMPA, FL – OCT 21: DeSean Jackson (11) of the Bucs takes a hand off from Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston and runs the ball into the end zone for the score during the regular season game between the Cleveland Browns and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 21, 2018 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Houston Texans lost a field stretcher with Will Fuller’s torn ACL, but DeSean Jackson has surfaced as an obvious trade target.
The Houston Texans beat the Miami Dolphins 42-23 Thursday night to extend their winning streak to five games and assure they’ll be atop the AFC South regardless of Sunday’s results. But wide receiver Will Fuller suffered a torn right ACL in the fourth quarter, and his absence will be felt as a field stretcher opposite DeAndre Hopkins.
The Texans have worked out Brice Butler, and they aren’t expected to pursue Dez Bryant. A turn to the trade market is possible ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s deadline, and now a clear option has surfaced.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson has requested a trade. Rapoport adds that Tampa Bay is not inclined to move Jackson. But the Texans could be ready to up the ante, even with Jackson slated to make the remainder of $11 million this year as well as $10 million next year, and a solid offer would be hard for the Buccaneers to refuse.
Jackson started this season with nine catches for 275 yards (19.4 yards per catch) and three touchdowns in the first two games, as he and Ryan Fitzpatrick showed great rapport. But the turn back to Jameis Winston has brought a continuation of the chemistry issues between the two from 2017, when Jackson set a career-low in yards per catch (13.4). He had another 100-yard game against the Chicago Bears in Week 4, when Winston played the second half of a blowout loss, but in Winston’s two starts Jackson has totaled six catches for 102 yards (on 13 targets).
As a certified deep threat that demands to be accounted for, it’s easy to see Fuller as a younger version of Jackson. His salary might lower the asking price some, and the Texans should seize the opportunity with a trade offer to Tampa Bay for Jackson.