(Image credit Benny Sieu/USA Today Sports)
Written by: Nicholas Mullick
Like I said in my trade grade for CJ Henderson anything can happen in the NFL if it is on the field with an upset or off the field with a transaction made by the team. As the trade deadline is coming closer and closer teams are looking to make moves to improve their team and their salary cap. Some may be a blockbuster trade but other trades are not. This is an example of a non-blockbuster trade as recent news came out of a trade involving Houston Texans DE/EDGE Charles Omenihu.
The Houston Texans have traded DE/EDGE Charles Omenihu to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for an undisclosed late-round draft pick
Many people reading this and looking at this trade are wondering; Who is Charles Omenihu? So I will tell you who Charles Omenihu is. Charles Omenihu entered the league when he was drafted in the 2019 NFL Draft in the 5th round 161st overall. The past few years with the Texans he has had a total of 40 tackles, 7 sacks, 4 pass deflections, and two forced fumbles. I got to be honest Omenihu has been a hidden gem for the Houston Texans since he was drafted. Omenihu is a solid rotational pass rusher for the Houston Texans. Now we get to the trade deadline today where the Texans have decided to move on and trade Charles Omenihu to the San Francisco 49ers.
Houston Texans Side
Charles Omenihu during his first two seasons with the team has been a solid contributor to this team, especially as a pass rusher. This may sound weird but Bill O’Brien properly utilized Omenihu during his tenure with the team than the way David Culley did. I know it sounds strange but the way Bill O’Brien mainly utilized him as a rotational Defensive End/ Pass rusher and Charles was doing a solid job in that role. Then Bill O’Brian got fired in week 4 for how badly he ran this team in the ground during the offseason. Side note he should have been fired in January when he blew a 24-0 lead against the Kansas City Chiefs. When the Texans fired Bill O’Brien and had Romeo Crennel take over as the interim head coach it seemed like they did not know what to do with Omenihu. They mainly utilized him as an every-down back when in reality he fits more as a rotational DE/EDGE rusher. It did not stop there once the Texans hired David Culley as Head Coach as the team continued to try and utilize him the same way Crennell did. It has not worked well. I get why they made the move to trade Charles Omenihu to get more draft capital and move on from a player they don't want but the Texans failed to develop him as a contributor in being a run stopper..
San Francisco 49ers Side
It was an interesting move for the 49ers to acquire Omenihu during the trade deadline. The 49ers don’t really need a DE/EDGE rusher but it never hurts to get more depth at that position. They tried with the Jordan Willis trade with the Jets but he has not worked out. I like that the 49ers are taking a chance at a younger player like Charles Omenihu who can mainly be on a rotational role which would make him a better fit. I got to say Omenihu has provided a ton of pressure whenever he has been utilized properly and I feel the 49ers can do that. If he can showcase the skills he had with the Texans during his Bill O’Brien years then the 49ers have got a strong player on their defense.
Grades for the Charles Omenihu Trade
Houston Texans: B-
San Francisco 49ers: B+
Now we don’t know what round or year that draft pick will be but if I were to guess it is either a 6th or 7th round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft as it is being labeled as a “Future late-round draft pick’’. This is a win-win trade but many will disagree but I think the 49ers won this trade. They get a player who has been a hidden gem as a pass rusher for next to nothing value-wise. But I am not going to give the Texans a bad grade as they got some more draft capital and got rid of a guy they did not want to keep for the long term. Overall though this is a great move by San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch and yet another questionable but solid move by Houston Texans GM Nick Caserio.