The Texans are considering trades, free agency and everything in between in their quest to improve an injury-riddled linebacker corps.
Pro Bowler DeMeco Ryans is out for the season after tearing his left Achilles against the Kansas City Chiefs – that much, the Texans know. What they don't know is when exactly they'll get back Kevin Bentley (knee), Darryl Sharpton (ankle) and Xavier Adibi (hamstring), who all missed Sunday's victory because of injuries.
"If all those guys were healthy and ready to go play football, then moving and mixing and matching would be very easy," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said Monday. "But the problem is those guys aren't ready to go, so we're exploring every avenue we can today.
"(General manager) Rick (Smith) and I are talking, looking, (doing) everything that we can possibly do to help our football team, because there are more issues than just DeMeco being out."
A healthy Bentley and Sharpton would be options to take Ryans' place at middle linebacker. Weakside linebacker Zac Diles could play there, too. The Texans are on their bye week and don't play another game until Nov. 1, and Kubiak is guardedly optimistic that Bentley, Sharpton and Adibi will return by then.
In the meantime, the NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 3 p.m.
"It's part of the conversation," Kubiak said. "I think we have to look at everything. We have to look at any possible availability out there that we think can help make us better and help our football team throughout the next 10 weeks."
Kubiak did not say whether the Texans would consider trading future draft picks in exchange for players.
"I can't speak for Rick on that," he said. "I just know both of us together should do everything we can to make our football team better. We're in a tough situation right now, losing a captain and a great football player, so we've got to explore everything. But what's going to end up being best for our team, I don't know."
The Texans also will work out a group of free agents on Tuesday morning.
"I don't have a list for you right now or anything, but yes, we'll definitely bring in some guys," Kubiak said. "Rick and them have been working on it last night, working on it all morning. We're compiling every possible avenue we can to see if we can find somebody to help us."
