When a player enters Bill O’Brien’s doghouse, that Houston Texans player never gets out, unless it’s on a one-way ticket out of the Bayou City. Just ask Jaelen Strong and D’Onta Foreman.
Last season, with injuries and the subsequent frustrations that come with it, receiver Keke Coutee landed in O’Brien’s doghouse. It was so bad that in Week 8 O’Brien said he simply couldn’t get him the game due to the game plan.
The former 2018 fifth-round pick from Texas Tech has kept his nose to the grindstone and not allowed the setbacks to impact what’s left of his potential with the team.
The best way that one can measure Coutee’s progress is with the positive reviews he received from O’Brien when he met with reporters on Aug. 18.
“Some guys it takes a little longer,” O’Brien said. “Keke has had to deal with injuries and when he’s played, he’s been very productive. If you remember in his rookie year, he had a big game against Indianapolis. He’s a guy that just has dealt with some hamstrings, some ankle. I think the big thing for Keke is health. He’s a very confident player, a very good player.”
Coutee excited Texans fans in Week 4 of 2018 when he caught 11 passes for 109 yards in Houston’s 37-34 overtime win at Lucas Oil Stadium, which kicked off the Texans’ nine-game winning streak. Even though it was amid a 21-7 loss to the Colts in the AFC wild-card, Coutee’s 11 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown whet fans’ appetite of what he could become in his second season.
An ankle injury in the first preseason game against the Green Bay Packers derailed Coutee, and he never had a performance anywhere near his rookie games against the Colts.
The Texans already have their top trio of receivers in Randall Cobb, Brandin Cooks, and Will Fuller with Kenny Stills playing a support role should any of them get injured. However, the opportunity is still there for Coutee to make an impact on offense, and his attitude has never wavered in defense of his roster spot.
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