Johnathan Joseph had earned his two career Pro Bowl selections in his tenure with the Houston Texans from 2011-19. Joseph also left the franchise this offseason as the all-time interceptions leader with 17 and was tied for third-most games played with 133.
With Joseph departed and now with the Tennessee Titans, a Houston media member asked an apt question of Bradley Roby: are you the OG now?
“Yeah, definitely,” Roby told reporters on Aug. 11. “I feel like I’m definitely the oldest guy and most experienced. I definitely feel like it’s my job to lead the guys and lead us to be better than we have been in the past.”
Roby, a former 2014 first-round pick, played 79 games with the Denver Broncos, helping the club win a Super Bowl at the end of 2015. The former Ohio State Buckeye wants to bring that level of success to the Texans.
“My goal is to be a whole lot better than we’ve been over the past couple of years,” said Roby. “That’s my plan and I’m doing everything I can to help everyone, including the safeties as well.”
With just 10 games in Houston under his belt, safety Justin Reid might actually be more of an OG than Roby. The former 2018 third-round pick from Stanford has played 31 games for Houston, over three times as many as Roby. With so much experience on the back end, Roby knows he has to be in sync with the talented younger brother of Pro Bowl safety Eric Reid.
Said Roby: “Trying to get on the same page as J-Reid, working out with him this offseason and just getting that bond together. One thing I know about the secondary is you have to be a tight-knit group on and off the field. I think I’m trying to build that as much as possible.”
The Texans’ defense seeks to return to its formidable form in the first year of defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. Part of achieving those goals will be having Roby play like an OG.
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