Tag: Blake Cashman

Texans LB Blake Cashman excited to face former team

Texans LB Blake Cashman will face his former team, the Jets, on Sunday. “I’m really excited about it.”

Sunday’s matchup between the Houston Texans and New York Jets will have a special meaning for some Texans players who previously played for the Jets, including linebacker Blake Cashman, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by New York.

After dealing with multiple injuries during his first two seasons, Cashman was traded to the Texans for a sixth-round pick during the offseason.

Revenge will not be on Cashman’s mind when he steps on the field, but he is eager to show how he has grown as a player.

“I am really excited about it,” Cashman told Texans Wire about his return to MetLife Stadium to play his former team. “I get an opportunity to compete against people I worked with, former teammates, guys I worked with, coaches I shared the meeting room with.”

“Those people helped make me the person and player I am. As a competitor, I am excited about it, and I just want to go there and play my best football.”

Cashman has been a vital piece of the Texans’ defense, which has helped their team stay within reach of potentially making the playoffs and an outside shot at winning the AFC South. He was recognized as AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his Week 6 performance against the New Orleans Saints, where he notched a career-high 15 tackles (nine solo).

In 11 games played this season, he has a career-high 82 tackles, which includes three games of double-digit tackles. That is a testament to how he has been used by head coach DeMeco Ryans this season.

“I have to give credit to the coaching staff,” said Cashman. “They have done a great job with everyone by simplifying the details, which has allowed guys to pick up the basic fundamentals of this scheme quicker, and that gives guys confidence, and you are able to start taking the next step. I had some familiarity with the defense and a lot of great players around me, and I think that plays a factor as well.”

5 Texans players who could cause problems for the Jaguars in Week 12

Will the Jaguars be able to contain C.J. Stroud this time around?

At the beginning of the season, no one would have expected the Houston Texans to be a game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars for the top of the AFC South, but here we are.

Not only is Houston a game away from Jacksonville, but it won the first head-to-head between the teams in dominant fashion Week 3. The Texans traveled to Duval and handed the Jaguars a 37-17 loss.

Now, the Jags have a chance to even the series and strengthen their hold on the top of the AFC South, but they’ll have to go through a feisty Texans team to do so.

Here are five Texans players who could cause problems for the Jaguars in Week 12:

Texans’ linebackers and secondary key part of Houston’s 5-4 start

The Houston Texans have more than a talented young quarterback driving their success.

The Houston Texans are relevant. The only question now is how long Houston will be able to keep up the momentum.

Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is a large reason why the Texans no longer carry the countenance of a rebuild. The No. 2 overall pick is making his case to be, not only Offensive Rookie of the Year, but possibly NFL MVP.

According to Doug Farrar from the Touchdown Wire, who put together a comprehensive look at the Texans beyond the meteoric rise of Stroud, there are a myriad of reasons Houston is 5-4. One particular reason involves the play of the linebacking corps and secondary.

The biggest beneficiary of Ryans’ tutelage at that position has been Blake Cashman, a 2019 fifth-round pick for the New York Jets who is enjoying his best season by far. Cashman can mix it up as a pass-rusher and as a run defender, but in today’s NFL, you want linebackers who can cover, and Cashman has found the key to that. On this interception of Trevor Lawrence in Week 3, he read Lawrence through the progression, and had the answers to the test when Lawrence tried to hit Jamal Agnew on this intermediate crosser.

Veteran Steven Nelson has been Houston’s best cornerback this season, allowing 23 catches on 33 targets for 371 yards, 67 yards after the catch, three interceptions, two pass breakups, one touchdown, and an opponent passer rating of 79.2. Nobody in this cornerback group is a pure shutdown guy just yet, but Nelson is a sticky match defender, as he showed on this crosser interception against the Baltimore Ravens and receiver Zay Flowers in Week 1.

Ryans brought do-it-all safety Jimmie Ward from San Francisco as an experienced leader, and Ward has played well, but the guy to watch is Jalen Pitre, the 2022 second-round pick out of Baylor who can win all over the defense. Pitre can line up in the deep third, the box, and the slot with equal aplomb. And as a blitzer? Well, ask Bryce Young what Pitre can do off the edge.

The Texans get back in action in Week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time from NRG Stadium.

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The Texans are better than you think, and it’s not just about C.J. Stroud

The Houston Texans are better than you think as a team, which means that it’s about more then just C.J. Stroud.

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When the Houston Texans started the 2023 season 0-2 with losses to the Baltimore Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts, it seemed as if Houston’s NFL franchise would be nothing but an interesting footnote with new head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud. Coming off a 3-13-1 2022 season as they had, the Texans went all-out in the draft, taking Ohio State’s Stroud with the second overall pick, and trading up to select Alabama pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. with the third overall pick. Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio also made some interesting free-agency moves, and took Houston speed receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell, but in those first two games, the Texans still looked worlds away from competitive status.

What a difference a couple of months can make. The Texans have won five of their last seven games since that 0-2 start, Ryans and his staff seem to have multiplied and maximized the efforts of just about every player on the roster, and Stroud has graduated from a college quarterback with some question marks about his NFL potential to one of the best quarterbacks in the league, regardless of tenure.

Stroud is the force multiplier for the Texans in conjunction with offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, but is this team good enough to get to the playoffs and make noise there? Houston has had one of the league’s tougher schedules this season, and they close out the 2023 regular season with games against the Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, NEw York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and the Colts. So, it’s a legitimate question, and when you look at the Texans’ entire squad, there’s more than just Stroud to talk about. In truth, the Texans are performing over their projections at just about every position, and they’re doing so with a lot of players you may not even know. 

“For us and our team and where we are, we’re still just grinding one week at a time,” Ryans said Monday, one day after his team beat the Cincinnati Bengals in a 30-27 last-second thriller. “Really focused on us and focused on getting better. From our game yesterday, I really loved the fact that everyone contributed to the win. I think that’s the most impressive thing to me about that game. True team win. Everybody stepping up, everybody made a play. If you were up in that game, you made a play, and that’s the cool part about our team is that it doesn’t matter who is out there, we expect everyone to do their best, play to the best of their ability, play fast, play physical, and that’s what you saw from our entire team yesterday.”

More and more, it’s what we’re seeing from the Texans week in and week out as things come together for them.

So, it’s time to focus on the feature question: Who are these guys, anyway, and why are they winning all of a sudden?

It’s about more than the quarterback.

Texans LB Blake Cashman wins AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Houston Texans linebacker Blake Cashman earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his work against the New Orleans Saints.

The NFL announced Wednesday Houston Texans linebacker Blake Cashman has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week after the team’s 20-13 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 6.

The award is the first for the 27-year-old and the 52nd instance a Texans player has been named player of the week. The last Texans player to earn such honors was cornerback Tavierre Thomas after Week 16 in 2021.

Cashman delivered a career-high 15 tackles along with two pass breakups, two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hit against the Saints. Cashman joined Vincent Rey (Nov. 10, 2013 at Baltimore), Brian Urlacher (Oct. 16, 2006 at Arizona), and Angelo Crowell (Nov. 13, 2005 at Kansas City) as the only players to generate that exact stat line. Cashman is also the fifth linebacker to post at least 15 tackles and two tackles for loss in a game this season.

The former New York Jets 2019 fifth-round pick is having a noteworthy start to the season as Cashman has produced 31 combined tackles, four tackles for loss, four pass breakups, and an interception through five games, four of which he has started.

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LB Blake Cashman appreciates playing in Texans’ ‘punch first’ defense

Houston Texans linebacker Blake Cashman says he likes the way DeMeco Ryans’ defense will “punch first” with its aggressive style.

The term “defense” has conservative connotations of holding a position. In the modern NFL where the game is tilted towards the offense, sometimes defenders would prefer to attack.

The intention of Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans’ scheme is it provides for opportunities to attack, which is why fifth-year linebacker Blake Cashman appreciates the philosophy of the former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator.

“It allows the defense, and the offense as well, but the scheme [allows us] to punch first,” Cashman told reporters Aug. 13 after training camp practice. “It’s all about attacking and getting off the ball, and then based off that, it’s just run and hit. So, being able to fly around and play fast with having quick keys, it’s fun for a defensive player — especially a linebacker.”

Although Cashman is in his first year with Ryans and second with the Texans, this is not the 27-year-old’s first time in such a defense. The former New York Jets 2019 fifth-rounder spent 16 games over three seasons with the AFC East club. In his final year, Cashman played three games in new coach Robert Saleh’s system, also a former 49ers defensive coordinator from 2017-20 and Ryans’ immediate predecessor.

Said Cashman: “It’s a very similar defense, very, very similar. It’s a scheme where, like I said before, we attack first, and it allows you to run and hit.”

Cashman admits picking up the Texans’ version has been easier.

“Just the techniques and the fundamentals that is required of the defense, that transition from when I was with New York to here has been a lot easier than learning new schemes in the past,” said Cashman. “So, it’s been great for me.”

Cashman started for the Texans in their 20-9 win over the New England Patriots on Aug. 10, registering nine defensive snaps and two special teams snaps.

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Texans’ Christian Harris, Devin Singletary clash as iron keeps sharpening iron

Houston Texans LB Christian Harris and RB Devin Singletary scuffled in the latest example of iron sharpening iron in training camp.

HOUSTON — More than the temperature was heated at Houston Texans training camp Sunday at Houston Methodist Training Center.

Linebacker Christian Harris put a strong hit on running back Devin Singletary on the sideline during team drills with fans in attendance. As the two rose to their feet, they exchanged words, and Singletary got into a fighting stance but was quickly pushed away by other offensive players.

“To see scuffling in training camp, I would say: ‘Finally,'” said Texans coach DeMeco Ryans about the minor skirmish. “Sometimes you get tired of hitting the same guy over and over again, right? It’s linebackers and running backs; they’re going to thud up a lot in practice. And of course, we want to be safe, we want to make sure we keep guys up, but also, it’s going to get a little edgy, it’s going to get a little chippy, and that’s how I want to play.

“Offensively, defensively, I want to play with an edge. I want to play with a chip on our shoulder, but also, we still have to play within the rules. So, it’s a part of camp, you see it, it is not the worst thing to happen because it shows that guys truly care about what they’re doing. They want to be really good at it. It’s just two really good competitors going at each other, which I don’t have a problem with.”

Ryans played with that same chip on his shoulder during his tenure in the NFL, and his players are taking on his attitude toward the game.

Tensions have been running high amongst the offensive and defensive side of the ball, with safeties Jalen Pitre and Jimmie Ward leading the way with trash-talking and hard hitting which was evident when tight end Dalton Shultz ran a pass route towards Ward and ended up having to be taken off the field by the training camp as he missed the rest of practice.

“That energy, it becomes contagious,” linebacker Blake Cashman said after Sunday’s practice. “I think today the defense was feeding off of that, and you can just see the intensity, guys flying around, maybe hitting a little harder, and that’s what you want in a defense.

“We want to be very tenacious and a ball-hawking defense because that’s what’s going to win us games. So, it’s great that the guys brought a little juice today because it’s going to make us a better football team.”

The Texans will have that same mentality when they participate in joint practices on consecutive days this week with the Miami Dolphins before facing them in their second preseason game on Saturday at NRG Stadium.

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WATCH: Texans defense sacks Titans QB Malik Willis

The Houston Texans sacked Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis in Week 16.

The Houston Texans had no problem reintroducing themselves to Malik Willis.

On a third-and-13 from the Tennessee Titans’ own 24-yard line, defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and linebacker Blake Cashman dropped the rookie quarterback for a 6-yard loss with 13:43 to go in the first quarter at Nissan Stadium in Week 16.

Willis made his first career start against the Texans on Oct. 30 in a 17-10 win at NRG Stadium. The Texans sacked Willis three times in that game.

Houston at least is a third of the way there if they are trying to sack Willis three times on Christmas Eve. Willis is 1-1 as a starter.

Linebackers coach Miles Smith compares Blake Cashman to Christian Harris

Smith told reporters that Cashman’s game compares favorably to that of #Texans’ rookie linebacker Christian Harris

Just six weeks separate the Houston Texans from the sweet release of the end of the season after what seems like a lifetime of disappointment that was packed into a few months. The team has struggled mightily in 2022, and despite all the adversity they’ve faced, Houston’s linebackers coach Miles Smith is excited to find new ways for players under his watch to succeed in their last remaining opportunities of the year.

In his comments to the media on Thursday, he addressed what he has seen from one contributor in particular, fourth-year linebacker Blake Cashman. The budding playmaker just re-signed with the team earlier in the week, and Smith made it clear that he likes what he has seen from him in the Texans’ latest campaign.

“He’s a little bit like Christian Harris in that he’s an elite athlete,” Smith told reporters. “He’s able to run down plays. He’s been playing a little more third down for us, rushing a little bit more than some other linebackers are doing. Just his outward athleticism, you need to find way to get players like that on the field. As we continue to go, we’re going to do that more and more.”

Cashman came into the league as a fifth-round selection by the Jets in 2019 and has developed into a steady figure on the Texans’ defense since joining the team earlier this season. He has flown under the radar of the national media and casual fans who haven’t been following Houston this year but is considered to be a lynchpin in the team’s defense and a key part of their roadmap to rebuild in 2023.

With strong showings to end the season, Cashman could prove to be one of the more consistent pieces on the Texans’ roster who could turn into a bonafide star in the years to come.

Texans LB Blake Cashman out with head injury against the Chargers

Houston Texans linebacker Blake Cashman is being evaluated for a concussion against the Los Angeles Chargers.

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The Houston Texans are taking it on the chin at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers, 24-7 late in the second quarter Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium.

The Texans are also battling the injury bug as linebacker Blake Cashman is out with a head injury after being evaluated for a concussion in the second quarter.

Cashman had a heartbreaking play on the Chargers’ first offensive series when quarterback Justin Herbert threw a sure interception right into the hands of Cashman, who dropped the takeaway.

Cashman has a tackle on defense, two tackles on special teams, a tackle for loss, and a pass breakup.