Houston Texans sign DB Kaevon Merriweather

Kaevon Merriweather's signing earns a D- Contract Value Index (CVI), reflecting a low-cost depth move that fails to justify even minimal investment in the current market. At $1.145M on a one-year deal, this is replacement-level salary for a defensive back—the kind of contract NFL teams deploy for camp bodies and practice-squad elevations rather than contributors expected to factor into playoff rotation. The math here is straightforward: you're paying a full-time salary for what appears to be a reserve or developmental role, which suggests either Merriweather has fallen sharply in organizational estimation or the Texans see him as emergency depth with limited immediate upside. For a team sitting at 12-5 with a nine-game winning streak heading into the regular season, allocating even this modest capital to an unproven or declining safety-type piece is inefficient—it's the kind of signing that doesn't move the needle for a contender and ties up a roster spot that could absorb younger talent or a true camp standout. The CVI penalty reflects that reality: Houston could have found equivalent production in undrafted free agency or via waiver claims, making this a marginal use of resources regardless of Merriweather's pedigree.