Will Connor Barwin ‘Play Ball’ With Houston GM Rick Smith?
Joe Owens, Rosterwatch.com Featured Analyst
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The Houston Texans had the number two overall rated defense last season yielding only 4571 total yards while coming sixth in sack totals. Allowing only 960 plays from scrimmage, good for second-best in the league, the Texans managed to do so without former first round selection Mario Williams. The Texans seemed to not miss a beat after Williams’ pectoral injury last season largely in part to the play of outside linebacker Connor Barwin.

Barwin, returning himself from a gruesome ankle injury that sidelined the former Cincinnati Bearcat for the entire 2010 season, emerged as a wrecking ball for the Wade Phillips-coached Houston Texans defense. Accumulating 11.5 sacks and having 4 sacks negated due to defensive penalties. Number ninety-eight is considered one of the Texans hottest commodities going into the 2012 NFL season.

Considering that Connor Barwin will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end if Houston chooses not to lock-up the pass-rushing specialist long-term, the question begs, does a huge need exist for the Houston Texans regarding the resigning of the former 2009 46th overall draft selection?

Involved in 85.7% of all pass rush snaps played by the Texans defensive unit, Barwin faces a similar decision as Houston Texans running back Arian Foster and Texans tackle Duane Brown recently faced. Brown essentially re-upped with the Texans as the 7th highest paid left tackle in the NFL while earlier in the offseason Arian Foster inked a deal for $10M less in guaranteed money than Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson signed last September. Many felt that both players should have held out for more money-most everyone except for those two players themselves. Now Barwin’s time is at hand as is the Texans general manager Rick Smith’s.

Last season Connor Barwin took over for the injured Mario Williams and failed to disappoint. Barwin supplanted Williams’ individual franchise per-game sack record by amassing 4 sacks on November 27th against the Jacksonville Jaguars, finishing last season with career high numbers in what essentially was only his second season after missing all of the 2010 campaign. Yet even finishing with the high sack yield and 47 combined tackles, the Texans could bounce the question around regarding if an actual need to re-sign Connor Barwin actually exists this season.

The Texans drafted Whitney Mercilus, and the young pass rusher is waiting in the wings. Mercilus put himself on the NFL draft prospect map last year as a senior at Illinois by becoming what some analysts believed as a “one year wonder.” Mercilus has been compared to New York Giants defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul. Houston selected last years FBS leader in both sacks and tackles for losses 26th overall, and former Texans GM Charlie Casserly feels like Mercilus will eventually be a better pass rusher than Connor Barwin.

The rookie Mercilus is currently tied for 6th this preseason with 2.5 sacks but only has 6 total combined tackles, so the jury is still out on both his coverage and run-stop ability, and with that the Houston Texans seem to be playing the future of Barwin close to the vest; but it would seem to be smart money that finding a happy medium is the approach by both sides of the table.

Having it all stricken away after a play that no one can control (as was the case for Barwin in 2010), and the Texans realization that Whitney Mercilus is still two years away from reaching full potential seems to have Chron.com Texans beat writer John McClain believing the happy medium will be met. “He’ll [Connor Barwin] take the contract and I think they’re going to get it done. That is reasonable.” McClain recently commented on Houston Sports Radio 610 AM.

Reasonable it is and quite admirable if Connor Barwin follows the predicted path of Mr. McClain. Exemplifying one more instance lending truth to the nation that the Houston Texans are building a first class organization from management down.