Braden Smith signs from the Colts and Ka'imi Fairbairn gets extended as the Texans' free agency haul takes shape. Marc and John go live on new league year eve.

Marc Vandermeer and John Harris go live from the Sports Radio 610 studios on the eve of the new league year, reacting to Day 2 of legal tampering and a free agency haul that's taking clear shape. The headline signing: Braden Smith, the former Colts right tackle, joins the Texans on a two-year deal worth up to $25 million. John provides the scouting deep dive — Smith was a guard at Auburn (90-plus percent of his college snaps), drafted 37th overall in the same class as Quentin Nelson, and only moved to tackle because a Colts staffer suggested trying him there during OTAs. The hosts leave the guard-vs-tackle decision open, noting it's March 10th with six months until kickoff, and emphasize that Smith's mentality fits the swarm culture regardless of position. John also highlights Jonathan Alexander's article on Smith's openness about mental health and anxiety, calling it impactful for the Houston community.

Ka'imi Fairbairn receives a contract extension, cementing the kicker's status as one of the most important players on the roster — Marc spotlights his clutch 51-yard field goal against Pittsburgh in the playoff opener that pushed the lead to 10-6 and effectively changed the complexion of the game. The Texans also officially announced the signings of Ed Ingram, Trent Brown, Dalton Schultz, E.J. Speed, MJ Stewart, and Danielle Hunter's extension, plus added special teamer Jake Hummel and defensive end Dominique Robinson.

The offensive line discussion dominates the show, with the hosts mapping out the current group — Aireontae Ersery, Jared Patterson/Braden Smith, Jake Andrews/Eli Cox, Ed Ingram, Trent Brown/Blake Fisher — and making the case that the draft's interior linemen (guards especially) are the sweet spot for picks 28, 38, 58, and 68. John draws an extended parallel between Ersery's development trajectory and Duane Brown's, noting Brown told him it took three or four years to truly master the position, and argues Ersery's year-two leap could be significant. Marc delivers the show's signature math: David Montgomery (two years, $6-7 million) plus Reed Blankenship (three years, $24 million) cost roughly what Kenneth Walker alone commanded (three years, $45 million) — and you get a complete running back plus a starting safety for the price of a first-and-second-down-only runner.

Joe Mixon released, Danielle Hunter extended and Wade Smith breaks down the O-line rebuild. Plus Nick Caserio on cap strategy ahead of Monday's tampering period.

John Harris hosts a loaded Friday show on the eve of the legal tampering period, packing in a week's worth of roster news, a Wade Smith interview, and Nick Caserio audio. The biggest headline: Joe Mixon has been released at his own request, saving the Texans $8 million in cap space and officially closing the book on his Houston tenure after an injury-plagued 2025 season. That move pairs with several other transactions — Danielle Hunter receives a contract extension providing both long-term security and immediate cap relief, Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre restructure their deals to free up space, MJ Stewart returns on a one-year deal to shore up the secondary, and Dalton Schultz gets a one-year extension to remain through 2027.

Former Pro Bowl guard Wade Smith provides the episode's analytical centerpiece in a pre-recorded interview with Marc Vandermeer. Wade credits Cole Popovich and the offensive line staff for genuine improvement in 2025, explains from personal experience why playing multiple positions can extend a career but may prevent maximizing at one spot, and describes the emotional rollercoaster of free agency — visiting Buffalo where former coaches tugged at his heartstrings, falling in love with Houston on his visit, then being pushed by his agent to leverage an Arizona trip he didn't want to take. On the current roster, Wade sees Aireontae Ersery and Trent Brown as likely starters at the tackle spots and emphasizes the need to invest in the interior, noting Ed Ingram's career-best season will price him high on the open market. He also raves about the Toro District facility at Bridgeland, comparing it to Frisco, Texas and the Cowboys' Star complex.

The final segment features Nick Caserio's appearance on Sports Radio 610's Sean & Seth show, where the GM provides a candid look at the free agency big board process — starting with all available unrestricted free agents, narrowing to 25-30 realistic targets across positions, and eliminating mismatches in value quickly so the team doesn't "waste time." Caserio speaks warmly about Tytus Howard's professionalism, acknowledges the difficulty of managing competing contract demands, explains why the offensive line turnover isn't an indictment of individual players but a roster construction reality, and pushes back on PFF grades as "a data point" that lacks the context of being in meeting rooms. The show closes with league news including Taylor Decker's release from Detroit, Geno Smith's release from the Raiders, and DJ Moore's trade to Buffalo.

ohn McClain reacts to the impending Tytus Howard and David Montgomery trades, Jerry Schuplinski takes over as QB coach, and the 2026 coaching staff is set. Plus flag football.

Marc Vandermeer goes solo on a packed Wednesday night that covers the full spectrum from blockbuster trade reactions to girls flag football. Hall of Fame writer John McClain opens the show with his trademark candor on the week's two trades: he loves the David Montgomery deal — "some members of the national media were criticizing it and I don't understand why" — highlighting that Montgomery's 33 rushing touchdowns over the last three years dwarf the Texans' red zone production (Montgomery had eight touchdowns alone last year; the entire Texans backfield had nine). McClain predicts Nick Caserio will trade out of the first round for the second consecutive year, potentially acquiring three second-round picks, and sees as many as three new offensive line starters in 2026. On Tytus Howard, he understands the financial reality with the Will Anderson Jr. extension looming — Anderson "might be the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history." McClain also weighs in on the Colts' transition tag on Daniel Jones, calls the Anthony Richardson pick "one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the draft," predicts Alec Pierce lands with Drake Maye and the Patriots, and offers his skepticism on Kyler Murray's work habits.

Marc then breaks down the 2026 coaching staff announcement, headlined by Jerry Schuplinski taking over as quarterbacks coach after Jerrod Johnson's departure. Marc details Schuplinski's extensive NFL résumé — Patriots (three Super Bowls), Dolphins, Giants, Raiders, Rams under Sean McVay — and cites glowing endorsements from Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jimmy Garoppolo about his specific impact on their development. He emphasizes that the John Carroll connection doesn't define Schuplinski; his decade-plus of NFL experience across multiple offensive systems does. Marc also celebrates the returns of Corey Undlin (defensive passing game coordinator) and Dino Vasso despite both receiving outside interview interest.

The middle segment features Amon-Ra St. Brown's podcast comments on Montgomery's departure from Detroit — "He's an RB1 on 31 other teams... I told everyone, keep him on your fantasy team because he's about to go even crazier" — and Marc's deep dive into NBC's throwback NBA broadcast, complete with Houstonized versions of the classic NBC and CBS basketball themes tied to Rockets championship memories.

The show closes with Brett Stewart, Director of Youth Football Development for the Texans, discussing the explosive growth of girls flag football — 130-plus high school teams across Texas, the push for UIL sanctioning, the combined Senior Showcase that drew 525 boys and 228 girls with 70-plus college programs offering scholarships on the spot, and the road to the 2028 Olympics. Marc and Brett also build an all-Texans Olympic flag football roster featuring C.J. Stroud, Derek Stingley Jr., Nico Collins, Calen Bullock, and Kamari Lassiter.

Marc Vandermeer and John Harris react to the biggest Texans news day of the offseason so far as two trades are reported by the media before lunchtime on the Monday before legal tampering.

First, there are reports that Tytus Howard has been dealt to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick, followed by his signing of a three-year, $63 million extension with Cleveland. The guys acknowledge that Tytus, despite his versatility, never settled into a true position.

Then the guys break down the reports that Houston will land RB David Montgomery in a trade with the Lions.

The back half features John's Combine interview with Fran Duffy of All City Philly, who provides an expert-level draft deep dive tailored to Houston's needs. Duffy sells Garrett Nussmeier as the best non-Mendoza quarterback in the class despite knee concerns, identifies pass rush as the draft's deepest position (Keldric Falk, Arvell Reese, David Bailey, Ruben Bain Jr. as four of the top six players), and breaks down offensive line targets including Monroe Freeling, Caleb Lomu, and a Nigerian-born Arizona State tackle who didn't play high school football and learned to put on pads at junior college. Duffy and Harris geek out over center prospects Connor Liu (Auburn, torn ACL) and Logan Jones (Iowa, handpicked by Tyler Linderbaum as his successor), and Duffy offers a Felix Jones comparison for Jadarian Price while warning that Price won't last to the second round. The show closes with news of the Chiefs releasing Juwan Taylor and the Cowboys working to extend kicker Brandon Aubrey.

Greg Cosell breaks down C.J. Stroud, Cam Ward, Drake Maye and Fernando Mendoza from the Combine. Plus JP Shadrick on the Jags rivalry and AFC South outlook.

John Harris goes solo from Radio Row in Indianapolis for Combine Day 2, delivering two must-hear interviews. NFL Films' Greg Cosell provides his signature film-room analysis on C.J. Stroud, calling him a potential top-five ball thrower in the NFL but noting that "everything seems to be fast" mentally and he appears to be "inventing pressure" in the pocket over the last two seasons. Cosell raves about the Texans defense — declaring Calen Bullock the best post safety in the NFL and comparing his impact to what Earl Thomas meant to the Legion of Boom — while emphasizing that the interior defensive tackles (Tommy Togiai, Sheldon Rankins, Mario Edwards) were "overlooked all season long" despite dominating on film every week. He also breaks down Cam Ward's mechanical issues in Tennessee, Trevor Lawrence's rhythmic transformation under Liam Coen in Jacksonville, Drake Maye's playoff regression in New England, Fernando Mendoza's Jared Goff comparison as the projected number one pick, and why the Clint Kubiak system is the perfect marriage for Mendoza's skill set.

The second half features JP Shadrick, the voice of the Jacksonville Jaguars' media universe, who provides an insider's account of how the Jaguars' season turned after the 19-point collapse in Houston — specifically Tony Boselli's weekly refrain that "this is the most important game in the history of the franchise," which became both a meme and a genuine rallying cry. Shadrick details why Jacksonville was confident they could reach the Super Bowl before the Buffalo playoff loss, the impact of losing corners Jordan Lewis and Travis Hunter in the postseason, Travis Etienne's likely departure as a free agent, and the Jaguars' stadium renovation timeline (38,000-seat lower-bowl-only setup in 2026, relocation to Orlando in 2027, full reopening in 2028). The show closes with Combine workout previews, the announcement that Jacksonville will play two London games (Tottenham and Wembley), and Kirk Cousins' impending release from Atlanta.

Marc and John go live from Indianapolis with an extended Nick Caserio sit-down and Andrew Siciliano interview on Combine Day 1. CJ Stroud, free agency and more.

Marc Vandermeer and John Harris open Combine Week live from Radio Row in Indianapolis with two marquee interviews. First, an extended sit-down with Texans GM Nick Caserio that goes well beyond his earlier podium session — covering everything from the vest-vs-hoodie debate to his free agency preparation process, his mentorship philosophy with coveted staffers like James Lipford and Dino Vasso, and the non-negotiable traits for a Houston Texan ("If you're a defensive player especially, physicality and violence are non-negotiable"). Caserio reaffirms his confidence in C.J. Stroud, reveals the team improved dramatically at quarterback from 2024 to 2025 across nearly every statistical category, details how his pro scouting department — DJ, Steve Cargile, Nate Lipford, and Chris Blanco — has already built the free agent board by position, and explains the rapid-fire reality of legal tampering where "players are going to come off the board" the instant the window opens. In a lighter moment, Caserio reveals he'd choose the gauntlet drill if GMs had to compete at the Combine, and admits his Indianapolis dinner was Panera soup and salad.

The second guest is Andrew Siciliano, voice of the Cleveland Browns and the original NFL Network Red Zone host, who provides an entertaining AFC North breakdown. Siciliano shares the challenge of calling Myles Garrett's record-breaking sack in real time, reveals the Browns may go tackle-tackle with picks 6 and 24 to rebuild an offensive line where nearly every starter is a free agent, and discusses the Shedeur Sanders quarterback situation. He and the hosts debate training camp length, the inevitability of 18-game seasons with a 9:30 AM Eastern kickoff window for international games, and the UFL's new four-point rule for 60-plus yard field goals. The show closes with John's Combine workout predictions — Dylan Thedeman (Oregon safety) testing through the roof, Brandon Thompson (Mississippi State WR) as a speed demon, Jeremiah Love solidifying his top-8 status, and Arvell Reese (Ohio State LB) showcasing his freakish athleticism.

John Harris reveals 7 underrated Texans offseason priorities beyond O-line and RB, plus a Combine preview and Henry To'oTo'o joins Jonathan Joseph on No Audibles.