Defensive back Tavierre Thomas was activated from the Houston Texans’ injured reserve list last week after missing time since early September due to a quadriceps injury. His return is a welcome development for the team’s defense as they look to improve over the coming weeks, and especially given their difficult matchup against the New York Giants on Sunday.
Thomas was among the Texans who spoke to reporters after practice on Tuesday and made it clear that he was excited to be back on the field.
“It felt great,” He said of his return to practice. “I was happy to be back out there trying to help us get a win. Now I’ll be back on defense a lot more. Hopefully I light a spark and everyone gets behind me and just go win.”
He continued his comments on the subject when asked about the relationship that he has developed with head coach Lovie Smith, which he described in detail as a key part of his motivation to play his hard-nosed style of football at the cornerback position.
“Me and Lovie [Smith] are really close,” Thomas explained. “We talk every day, all day. He teaches me stuff during football and outside of football with my family. I just listen to him, read my keys and play as hard as I can because if you play hard for Lovie, he’s going to do a lot for you. That’s the goal with me.”
It certainly can’t hurt his prospects of becoming an impact player on Houston’s defense for him to be so attached to Smith, who has his fingerprints all over everything that the Texans do on that side of the ball. With time to acclimate into Smith’s system and a gradual increase in playing time, Thomas seems primed to become one of the players that the team relies on the most for the edge they need to compete against top-level talent through the rest of their 2022 schedule.