Despite being a frequent starter, veteran offensive lineman Nick Easton is a street free agent for the second time. The former Vikings and Saints blocker continues to weigh his options, but he may have an option of signing with the Texans.
The rebuilding team has been busy this offseason, and Easton received a Texans offer, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. Easton visited Houston earlier this offseason, and Tomasson notes the team’s proposal is reasonable. Easton was previously attached to a four-year, $22.5MM Saints deal, but they released him in February.
Interest came from a few teams. At least four franchises reached out to the interior lineman, including the Bengals, whom Easton met with in late March. A 2015 UDFA out of Harvard, Easton has 32 career starts under his belt. He worked as a Vikings starter at center and guard in 2016 and ’17 but missed all of 2018 due to injury, leading to his Vikings exit. Easton started 15 games at guard for the Saints over the past two seasons.
With the Texans agreeing to terms with Lane Taylor on Thursday, this offer may no longer be on the table. That said, Taylor has played in just three games over the past two seasons and qualifies as a flier at this point in his career. Houston has also added center Justin Britt, who did not play in 2020, and former Chargers interior lineman Cole Toner this offseason. But the Texans still need help up front.
At 28 and with considerable experience, Easton may be willing to wait for a better offer. That could come after the draft, depending on how certain O-line-needy teams proceed.
After the disaster that was its 2018 offensive line, the Vikings would have probably been happy to re-sign Easton, but his Saints’ deal was originally reported as $24 million for four years, which was a ridiculous amount for a borderline starter, and that’s why he exited Minnesota.