In an slightly odd move of trying to once again rebuild their secondary, the New England Patriots are interested in a trade with the Houston Texans, hoping to acquire safety D.J. Swearinger.
What is the 23-year old with two years of experience worth? The Texans don’t rate him that highly, disappointed with the overall development of the 57th overall pick in the 2013 draft. His contract runs through the 2016 season, worth $950,000 in cap space this season and $1.1 million in 2016.
Swearinger isn’t a useless player. He’s quite good when it comes to covering tight ends or putting him in the box when trying to stop the run. He’s a good tackler and handles physicality quite well. But covering wide receivers in the open field? That’s a recipe for disaster.
In any case, the Texans are shopping him, the Patriots might bite, although Bill Belichick tends to see things a lot of others don’t. If a trade is completed, it won’t be for anything more than a sixth-round pick.
Swearinger has played in all 32 games these past two years. He has three interceptions and one sack in these two seasons, with 10 defended passes and four forced fumbles. Coming out of South Carolina he was second-team All-SEC in 2012.