The Houston Texans have to find solutions at cornerback in the 2020 offseason with 2019 starters Bradley Roby and Johnathan Joseph set to be free agents on March 18.
If the Texans are looking for a low-cost solution to their cornerback problem, then Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby needs to be one of their targets. According to Pro Football Focus, the down season that Darby had with the Eagles was an outlier and his play could rebound in 2020.
Plays like the one above featuring Darby losing at the catch point down the sideline were too common of a fixture on his 2019 tape — it was close, but he was ultimately unable to make the play. In total, Darby had one of the worst coverage grades at the position among qualifiers at only 41.0. However, Darby’s career up to last season gives reason to believe that was more of an outlier rather than the norm. Darby graded at 68.0 or higher each year from 2015 to 2018, showing a knack for getting his hand on the football with 33 pass breakups over those four seasons. This offseason provides a buy-low opportunity for teams that believe Darby will bounce back from an uncharacteristically poor 2019 season.
The Texans have two potential starters already on the roster in Lonnie Johnson, who will be entering his second season, and former Oakland Raiders 2017 first-round pick Gareon Conley. If Houston wanted to add a veteran to bolster the young duo, then they could get Darby.
Darby’s best season was in 2017, his first year with the Eagles. Even though he played eight games, the former Buffalo Bills 2015 second-round pick intercepted three passes, deflected nine others, and recorded 34 tackles.
Availability may be one of Darby’s biggest issues. He has never played a full 16-game season and has missed at least five games for the past three seasons. Houston’s cornerback group weathered a storm of injuries in 2019, and the club may not want to add another lightning rod for injuries to the mix.