Tag: defensive tackle

Report: Texans and D.J. Reader nowhere close to an extension

The Houston Texans and defensive tackle D.J. Reader are reportedly not close to an extension at this time.

The business side of football won’t come to the foreground until the end of the postseason, and one issue that will be there is the contract extension status of Houston Texans defensive tackle D.J. Reader.

According to a report from the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, the two sides aren’t close to an extension as the club prepares to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional playoffs Sunday at 2:05 p.m. CT at Arrowhead Stadium.

However, just because there is a chasm between the Texans and Reader as far as an extension goes doesn’t mean the former 2016 fifth-round pick from Clemson doesn’t want to remain with his original draft team.

“Oh, you know I love it here,” Reader said via Wilson. “I love the fans. I love the organization. They gave me my first real job. I love the city. People love me here. Hopefully, that opportunity comes around.”

From the organization’s point of view, they also highly respect Reader and his contributions.

“D.J. Reader has had a really good year for us,” coach Bill O’Brien told reporters on Jan. 6. “He does a lot of things that, you’re right, don’t show up on the stat sheet. He’s an excellent inside defensive tackle that plays the run very well. He gives us some juice in the passing game.”

Now, it will be up to the Texans to determine just how much bread to give the 6-3, 347-pound defensive lineman. Reader has collected 52 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and six tackles for loss in 15 games for Houston, all of which he started.

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Bill O’Brien says DT D.J. Reader ‘does things that don’t show up on the stat sheet’

Coach Bill O’Brien says that Houston Texans defensive tackle D.J. Reader is a catalyst for their pass defense.

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien has long been a fan of defensive tackle D.J. Reader.

The sixth-year coach’s appreciation for the 2016 fifth-round pick from Clemson was on display when he met with reporters Monday.

“D.J. Reader has had a really good year for us,” O’Brien said. “He does a lot of things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. He’s an excellent inside defensive tackle that plays the run very well. He gives us some juice in the passing game.”

On the season, Reader collected 55 tackles, 3.0 sacks, six tackles for loss, and 14 quarterback hits.

For O’Brien, the best example of what Reader means to the defense can be summarized on a first-and-10 with 4:37 to go in the fourth quarter of the Texans’ 22-19 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card. Though rookie running back Devin Singletary earned a chunk play on a 38-yard screen pass, Reader’s effort kept it from being more.

Said O’Brien: “On this one play down the opposite sideline from our sideline, D.J. Reader must have ran at least probably, from where he was in the backfield, probably about 50 yards. You’re talking about a big man that gave unbelievable effort on that play and then [safety] Mike Adams did a good job of using the sideline and they were able to get the guy down on the ground.”

The Bills weren’t able to get any points out of the potential game-winning drive, as outside linebacker Jacob Martin sacked quarterback Josh Allen for a loss of 19 on fourth-and-27.

It wouldn’t have been possible if Reader hadn’t chased Singletary.

“That’s another example of D.J. Reader and effort that he plays with, and that was a big play in the game,” said O’Brien.

The Texans can use Reader’s best effort as they face the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional Sunday at 2:05 p.m. CT at Arrowhead Stadium. A win would give the Texans their first AFC Championship Game berth in franchise history.

Broncos claim DL Joel Heath off waivers

The Broncos claimed former Texans defensive lineman Joel Heath off waivers.

In addition to signing 15 players to reserve/future contracts, the Denver Broncos also acquired a player off waivers on Tuesday.

The Broncos claimed nose tackle Joel Heath, who was waived by the Houston Texans on Saturday. Denver will officially acquire Heath’s rights on Feb. 3, the day after Super Bowl LIV.

It’s an interesting move for the Broncos because Heath is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. Denver might be planning to place a tender on the 6-6, 302-pound defensive lineman.

Heath entered the league as a college free agent out of Michigan State with the Texans in 2016. He played in 25 games in his first two years in the NFL, totaling 32 tackles and three sacks. Heath was plagued by injuries during the 2018 season and only dressed for two games this year.

Shelby Harris, Mike Purcell and Kyle Peko were the Broncos’ nose tackles this season. All three of those players are set to become free agents in 2020, but Purcell and Peko will be restricted free agents.

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Week 16 preview and prediction: Cardinals at Seahawks

Can the Seahawks survive another home game against the pesky Cardinals? Previewing the Week 16 matchup between Seattle and Arizona.

It is do or die time for the Seattle Seahawks. With the gift the Atlanta Falcons gave the Seahawks by upsetting the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle is now in the driver’s seat for not only the division crown but home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

However, in their quest to close out the season on a high note, the Seahawks must win out against two division rivals at home over the final two weeks. The first of the two is a rematch versus the perpetually pesky Cardinals.

In recent years, the Cardinals have been a constant thorn in the side of the Seahawks, especially in Seattle. From 2013-2017, the Cardinals won four out of five road games at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks finally snapped a three-game home losing streak to Arizona last season, however, it took a walk-off field goal to survive 27-24.

Now the Seahawks will look to win two-in-a-row at home against the Cardinals for the first time since 2011-12.

Arizona started the year 0-3-1, including a 27-10 defeat to the Seahawks. Then the Cardinals railed off three-straight wins, which was followed by six-straight losses.

The Cards eventually snapped their losing skid with a 38-24 win over the remarkably dysfunctional Browns in Week 15, but are still in the lower tier of NFL teams this year.

However, the Seahawks shouldn’t expect the Cardinals to simply rollover.

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Three star defensive tackle Sawyer Goram-Welch commits to Texas

Texas has landed another defensive tackle commit in the 2020 class with Sawyer Goram-Welch. He is a three star prospect out of Longview, TX.

Texas has landed three-star defensive tackle Sawyer Goram-Welch out of Longview, Texas. It was a quick change of events for Goram-Welch, who flipped from Oklahoma State two months after announcing he would be committing.

When Goram-Welch decommitted from the Cowboys on Dec. 7, the Longhorns had already offered him a scholarship five days earlier. Making his official visit to Texas this weekend, Goram-Welch made the decision to join the No. 7 ranked 2020 recruiting class on Sunday night.

 

Goram-Welch is listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 278 pounds. Coming out of Longview High School, he had 64 tackles in his senior season. 15 of them were for losses, including eight sacks. While he did not force any turnovers this year, he forced three fumbles in his junior season in 2018.

Joining Vernon Broughton as the other defensive tackle in the 2020 class, the Longhorns are now up to six defensive commits. Gorman-Welch plans on signing with Texas during the early signing period, enrolling in the University in the spring.

Early period signing day is on Wednesday, Dec. 18. Texas currently is the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the 2020 class, with Oklahoma being the closest to the Longhorns at No. 10.

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Quinnen Williams needs to step into the spotlight

Quinnen Williams hasn’t performed up to the level the Jets expected him to when they draft him third overall this summer.

When the Jets took Quinnen Williams third overall in the 2019 draft, they wanted him to become a force in the middle of their defensive line. Not necessarily Aaron Donald, but someone along those lines and just as menacing.

Through 13 weeks of his rookie season, Williams hasn’t been what the Jets hoped he’d become. He’s tallied only 1.5 sacks, 23 total tackles, three tackles for a loss and four quarterback hits in 10 games (he missed two weeks with an ankle injury) and hasn’t yet lived up to the pre-draft hype as the best player on the board. It’s still early in his career, but Williams is at risk of turning into yet another first-round mistake for the Jets, especially considering players like edge rusher Josh Allen and defensive tackle Ed Oliver were also available with the third pick.

Williams needs to step up now as his rookie season winds down to prove to the team and the NFL he was worth the high investment. The Jets have spent five of their last 10 first-round picks on defensive linemen since 2011, and only Williams remains on the team after New York traded 2015 first-rounder Leonard Williams at the trade deadline.

Williams has talent. He’s shown it in flashes throughout the season. There’s a good amount of impressive reps from Williams on Twitter, including this play against Raiders center Rodney Hudson and this pressure on Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Williams is a huge reason why the Jets have the No. 1 run defense as well – he has five solo run stuffs on the year which is fifth in the league – but that isn’t enough.

The Jets need production after investing such a high draft pick on Williams. It doesn’t matter if he’s getting penetration or thwarting rushes if offenses are still beating the Jets. Dominant interior defensive linemen can change the game. Guys like Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Fletcher Cox made names for themselves with game-wrecking plays throughout their careers. 

So far this season, three of the four defensive tackles picked ahead of Williams – Oliver (Bills, 9th), Christian Wilkins (Dolphins, 13th) and Dexter Lawrence (Giants, 17th) – have either more sacks, tackles or quarterback hits than Williams. Oliver has him beat in all three categories. Jerry Tillery, the fourth tackle pick in the first round (28th by the Chargers) is tied with Williams with 1.5 sacks. Stats aren’t the be-all and end-all for player evaluation, especially for a player who does most of his work in the trenches, but they are important for a defense like the Jets who lack a true playmaker on the line. The Jets drafted Williams to be that player. They traded Leonard Williams away because he didn’t turn into that type of player. Quality reps are nice, but it won’t be enough for the Jets to turn into a truly dominant defense.

This isn’t meant to disparage Williams as a player – he’s very good and has a lot of potential. But something needs to change down the stretch, either from Williams or the Jets defensive scheming. With so many injuries across the board, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams needs to unlock the beast in his young defensive tackle. Or, Williams needs to take it upon himself to move into another gear in the final four games of his rookie season.

Williams can do it. He’s shown the ability to blow up runs and pressure the quarterback. What he’s lacked so far is that play that sets Twitter ablaze. His sack on Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 8 displayed all the skills that make Williams special, but it was against the Dolphins in a loss. If Williams can take the next step from a quality defensive lineman to a dominant one, he can shake off the bust moniker that’s slowly creeping into his professional evaluation.

Checking in on Chargers rookie DT Jerry Tillery

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez breaks down the first 11 games of defensive tackle Jerry Tillery’s professional career.

In need of shoring up the interior part of the defensive line, Chargers general manager took former Notre Dame product Jerry Tillery with the team’s first-round selection of the 2019 NFL draft.

The pick had many fans ecstatic when his name was announced and the hype continued to build up entering this season after a phenomenal summer. But since then, Tillery hasn’t been as hot, thus having those wondering what’s going on with the No. 28 overall selection.

Let’s start off with his stat line through 11 games of his rookie campaign.

11 combined tackles and 1.5 sacks

Tillery’s usage is floating slightly above 40% of the defensive snaps, so he’s certainly up there with other notable players at the position — Damion Square (46.8%), Justin Jones (42.8%), Brandon Mebane (37.4%).

Los Angeles drafted Tillery to serve as a key interior pass rusher, so that way he could take some of the pressure off defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram. So, why doesn’t his stat sheet suggest that?

The first thing is that the Chargers have primarily played Tillery on first and second down and have resorted to taking him off the field during obvious passing downs. Instead, defensive end Isaac Rochell has been used in that role.

On the field, there has there have been evident growing pains, but Tillery has shown flashes that may go unnoticed. Coming out of college, he beat defenders with speed, strength and pure athleticism.

We see that here as Tillery creates immediate movement with his initial surge and forward lean into the blocker. With him being so lengthy, his pad level has been an issue. But we see when he stays low, he will win the battle.

Tillery has seen a hefty amount of double teams, and one issue that he had since coming out of college is struggling when blockers get to his hip which has still been clear. A part of that has to do with him tending to play high, but also the lack of countering.

But he does a nice job controlling the point of attack when square with blockers, and we have seen glimpses of solid countering when he is locked up with a blocker.

Here, Tillery goes with an arm over on the guard and spins off the center to create pressure on quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Here, Tillery gets locked up with the guard at first, but he throws a club and dips to disengage and shows great effort to pressure quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Speaking of effort, that also shows in the run game, too. Tillery works down the line of scrimmage and stops running back Derrick Henry in his tracks for a little gain.

Here, he generates good power on this play and he displays great balance, body control and a strong rip move to slither his way through his blocker.

Many think that Tillery is underperforming for a first round selection, but the truth is, even though he’s not as superior statistically, the other defensive tackles that were taken before him aren’t that spectacular in Year 1, either.

New York Jets DT Quinnen Williams (No. 3 overall)

20 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss

Buffalo Bills DT Ed Oliver (No. 9 overall)

23 combined tackles 2.0 sacks, 1 tackle for loss

Miami Dolphins DT Christian Wilkins (No. 13 overall)

36 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, 2 tackles for loss

New York Giants DT Dexter Lawrence (No. 17 overall)

26 combined tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss

The bottom line is that while it would have been nice for Tillery to play like his draft slot immediately, but there’s no reason to label him as a first-year ‘bust’. He hasn’t been primarily played in the role the Chargers drafted him for as a pass-rusher and there are signs of technical deficiencies that could easily be fixed.

I expect Tillery to continue to blossom into a key part of the defensive line by Year 2 or 3, where he’s racking up four or more sacks per season. The offseason will be essential to his growth. And keep in mind, Tillery will have a fresh slate as he spent a good chunk of this past offseason rehabbing his torn labrum.

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