Houston Texans sign Zach Fulton in free agency
By Matt Conner
If reports are true, the Houston Texans have won the rights to sign Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Zach Fulton in free agency.
The rumors proved true in the end. The Houston Texans were considered the frontrunners to sign Zach Fulton on the open market in the early part of the legal tampering period, but reports also had several other teams interested in his services.
In the end, the Texans won out, likely because they were willing to go to $7.5 million per season, per Ian Rapoport.
Fulton will now leave the Chiefs, the only team for whom he’s played in his NFL career, to join the Texans front line and block for quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Texans paid a heavy price but the reality is that Fulton is an underrated and valuable piece along the entire offense interior, a player who can step in at either guard position and hold his own yet is also a solid starting center as well. That is likely where he will play for the Texans.
On paper, Fulton was a sixth man of sorts for the Chiefs given that Mitch Morse is the starting center and the team was committed to developing Bryan Witzmann for most of this year at left guard. Yet injuries and inconsistent play often put Fulton in a starting role for much of the year, and the Chiefs ability to enjoy continued offensive success despite the setbacks along the line is a testament to Fulton’s ability to plug and play.
Fulton now joins former Chiefs lineman Jeff Allen on the Texans line, who left two years ago in free agency as well.