The Houston Texans didn’t play many rookies against the Kansas City Chiefs, which tends to happen when you have a five-man draft class. However, they did have one newcomer that stood out in the 34-20 loss.
According to Sarah Barshop, who covers the Texans for ESPN, fourth-round cornerback John Reid had the best debut of any Houston rookie.
Without a first-round pick, the Texans don’t have a true impact rookie. Only two of the four rookies on the 55-man roster were active in Week 1. Reid, a fourth-round pick, was part of Houston’s four-man rotation at cornerback in the season opener against the Chiefs, playing 46% of the defensive snaps. Reid’s 32 defensive snaps topped second-year cornerback Lonnie Johnson‘s playing time, as well. Texans head coach Bill O’Brien has praised Reid’s maturity and said he likely had the best training camp of any rookie.
As the Texans face challenging receiving corps later on in the schedule, having a younger cornerback with playing experience will be helpful, especially given that the experience grows with each additional game.