Houston Texans linebacker Christian Kirksey recorded the 700th tackle of his career against the Washington Commanders in the team’s Week 11 loss at NRG Stadium. He became just the 11th active player in the NFL to achieve the feat and is just nine tackles shy of reaching the top 10, which may be a possibility for him by the end of the season.
While the final score of the matchup was far from ideal, Kirksey’s contributions were paramount to the Texans’ ability to keep it from getting completely out of hand. They managed to lose by just 13 points in the game after trailing by an even 20 heading into halftime.
The Texans have had their share of poor performances over the course of the 2022 season, but Kirksey’s presence has helped buoy their young defense amid what is turning out to be the beginning of an arduous rebuilding process. Houston’s coaching staff and front office will want to tear their roster down to the bare studs in the offseason, and Kirksey has proven with his consistently competent play that he deserves to be part of the defense next year.
What is becoming increasingly unclear, however, is the commitment of the team to Kirksey moving forward. Though he hasn’t been a liability for the Texans, they drafted up-and-coming linebacker, Christian Harris, back in April, and may look to a youth movement to solve some of the structural issues plaguing their team in 2023.
Veterans like Kirksey are a necessary component of any well-formed roster, but with the results that the Texans have drawn from their 2022 campaign, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them part with a significant amount of the older talent currently taking up space on their team. Time will tell if Kirksey is able to crack their roster once again next season, or if this milestone might serve as the last signficant accomplishment he makes in a Texans uniform.