Last season, the only Texans cornerback who allowed an opponent passer rating lower than 90.1 was Bradley Roby, who Houston had signed to a one-year, $10 million deal in March of 2019. That deal proved to be the one exemplar of consistency in a group of cornerbacks that generally exhibited anything but — unless you count “consistently bad” as a misbegotten attribute.
Veteran Johnathan Joseph will test the free market. Gareon Conley, acquored in an October trade from the Raiders, and Vernon Hargreaves III, signed after the Buccaneers waived him in November, were first-team castoffs who didn’t fare much better in their new home. Hargreaves was released in February. And Lonnie Johnson Jr. was the only defensive player in the NFL last season who allowed nine touchdowns with no interceptions — a rare feat in and of itself.
So, re-signing Roby to a deal giving him up to $12 million per year makes a lot of sense.
The Texans have agreed to terms on a contract with cornerback Bradley Roby, a source confirmed to ESPN on Sunday. The Houston Chronicle first reported the deal, worth three years for up to $36 million. Barring another big signing at the position, the… https://t.co/NBr04OT0CW
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) March 15, 2020
Last season, Roby allowed 37 regular-season receptions on 60 targets for 465 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 77.4. Like every other Texans defensive back, he was exposed by the team’s decision to play mostly man coverage against the Chiefs in the divisional playoffs. There, he allowed five catches on six targets for 74 yards, one touchdown, a 19-yard pass interference penalty when covering Tyreek Hill, and an opponent passer rating of 157.6. But when he’s used as a quick route-jumping defender in close coverage, and a smart slot defender, he’s an asset to any secondary.
This 27-yard pick-six of Jameis Winston in Week 16 is an excellent example of what Roby does well. He’s aligned against receiver Justin Watson at the top of the screen, and watch how he jumps Watson’s route to take the ball away. You could argue that Winston should have read that, but Roby did a nice job of breaking late, and it’s not as if Winston is ever cautious about throws like that.
A first-round pick of the Broncos in the 2014 draft out of Ohio State, Roby has allowed 297 receptions in 492 targets with a 60.4% catch rate for 3,635 yards, 25 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 91.6 in his NFL career.