Familiarity can breed contempt, but for Denzel Perryman, it bred comfort.
The former 2021 Pro Bowler needed a system he recognized as he recovered from labrum surgery in the offseason. The former Las Vegas Raiders linebacker signed with the Houston Texans in late March.
“Like I said, I was coming off shoulder surgery, and that was pretty big for me,” Perryman told reporters after mandatory minicamp June 14. “The opportunity, just being in this defense, this system. I’m going on year nine, and out of nine years, I’ve been in the same system or form of system for like seven years. So, just getting familiar with their terminology. But, it’s the same thing that I’ve been in for the past seven years.”
Perryman spent 2015-20 with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. The former 2015 second-round pick signed a free agent contract with the Raiders in 2021 and spent the next two seasons with the Chargers’ AFC West rivals.
As Perryman begins his ninth season with a third different team, the cohesion being formed by the Texans engenders promise.
Said Perryman: “Just how we’re all coming together. Like I said, it’s a new defense, new scheme, new everything for everybody. So, just how we’re all coming together, like you said— communicating — which is big in defense, period.”
Although the Texans finished their offseason workouts emphasizing communication, the intensity must carry over into the start of training camp in late July.
“Still got some work to do, I can say that, but just like I said how we all are coming together,” Perryman said. “We’ve got time. We’ve got training camp, but OTA’s, it’s been a good little camp.”
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