At the moment, it seems like linebacker Joe Mays just might be the most sought after remaining free agent after being released by the Denver Brocnos, with the Washington Redskins and the Houston Texans showing a lot of interest in adding the five-year veteran.
Two days ago we reported that both the Chargers and the Redskins, each with its own problem at inside linebacker, are going after Mays, trying to fill in the depth chart, putting Mays as a backup to their starting linebackers, like he has been for most of his career in the league.
While the Redskins seem like the most interest party at the moment to add him to their roster; Keenan Robinson was supposed to be the backup to London Fletcher and Perry Riley, but he tore his torn pectoral will keep him out for the entire season, meaning the Redskins need to find some cover.
As for the Texans, they didn’t seem like a team needing any help at the position with Brian Cushing dominating last season, or at least until he went down with a season ending injury. Cushing is being brought back very carefully and slowly, while Darryl Sharpton is currently having some issues with his groin and his placed on the NFI (non-football injury). The Texans’ defense took a huge hit without Cushing last season, and while Mays isn’t going to replace his presence and effect on defense, it’s better than anything they have right now.
Mays played only six games last season for the Broncos, his third year in Denver. In 2011, his most productive NFL season, Mays played in all 16 games (starting 12 of them), finishing with 83 tackles. He has only 0.5 sacks in his NFL career, and isn’t really a threat when it comes to blitzing and getting to the quarterback. He’s not a bad cover guy on tight ends, and is pretty productive when it comes to stopping the run.