The Houston Texans are bringing back Bradley Roby on a three-year contract, which may give them a playmaking cornerback. The former 2014 Denver Broncos first-round pick collected two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, forced a fumble, and produced 1.0 sack with two tackles for loss.
Opposite of Roby, the Texans may have their lock down cornerback in Gareon Conley. According to Pro Football Focus, the former 2017 Oakland Raiders first-round pick had a forced incompletion percentage of 20%, tied with the Green Bay Packers’ Jaire Alexander for the second-best in the NFL.
Alexander played in all 16 games for Green Bay. Conley played in a total of 14 with six in Oakland and then eight in Houston. Nevertheless, the results from Conley were telling.
Best forced incompletion % among CBs in 2019
1. Carlton Davis – 22%
2. Jaire Alexander/Gareon Conley – 20%
4. Chidobe Awuzie – 19% pic.twitter.com/g7NFwMApfw— PFF (@PFF) June 12, 2020
Even though the 6-0, 190-pound cornerback was only with the Texans for half the season, he still finished second on the team with 11 pass breakups. Cornerback Johnathan Joseph, now with the Tennessee Titans, produced the most pass breakups with 13. When including Conley’s Raiders totals, he also had 13.
“Gareon Conley, making plays on the ball, really graded highly in his games with us this year,” coach Bill O’Brien told reporters on April 16.
If the Texans can field a cornerback tandem that forces quarterbacks to choose their own adventure, whether they want to test a playmaker in Roby or a sure incomplete pass in Conley, it could help the pass rush generate more coverage sacks. In any event, it provides the Texans with the confidence to face any receiving corps when they know Conley can produce incomplete passes at such a high percentage.