Texans almost traded for 49ers DE Arik Armstead, per report

The Houston Texans had a deal in place to acquire San Francisco 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead on Tuesday night, but the trade fell through after the Texans signed edge rusher Danielle Hunter, according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows.

Houston and San Francisco were reportedly going to swap defensive tackle Maliek Collins for Armstead to reunite Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans with the 30-year-old defensive end. Instead, the Texans sent Collins to the 49ers for a seventh-round pick on Wednesday while San Francisco released Armstead. Ryans coached Armstead during his time with the 49ers defensive coaching staff.

The Texans still appear interested in signing Armstead, per Barrows and KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson, but now he is free to sign anywhere on the open market. The Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills are reportedly among Armstead’s other suitors.

Armstead might not have a real spot on Houston’s defensive line after the Texans added pass rush specialist Danielle Hunter on a two-year, $49 million deal and defensive lineman Denico Autry on a two-year, $20 million deal. Both will join 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. Armstead does have experience as an interior lineman, though it’s unclear what type of contract he’d want or could be offered from other teams.

The veteran defensive lineman has been solid during his nine-year career in San Francisco. Armstead tallied 33.5 career sacks and 88 quarterback hits in 116 games since the 49ers drafted him 17th overall in 2015. The Texans signed Hunter — who’ll be 30 later this year — after he posted a career-best 16.5 sacks this past season. Hunter has 87.5 career sacks.