Tag: jahleel addae

Texans are counting on S Jahleel Addae to fill void Tashaun Gipson leaves behind

The Houston Texans secondary is counting on safety Jahleel Addae to step up in the aftermath of safety Tashaun Gipson going on injured reserve.

The Houston Texans secondary took quite the hit on Tuesday when it was announced that safety Tashaun Gipson was going to injured reserve.

The former Pro Bowler sustained a transverse process fracture in his back. Without Gipson starting alongside second-year safety Justin Reid, the Texans will have to rely more on Jahleel Addae to fill the void.

“He’s played quite a bit and done a nice job for us,” defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said of Addae on Wednesday .”We’ve used him in several different spots. So, I like what he brings to the table.”

Addae produced 42 tackles, two interceptions, and three pass breakups in his 16 games with the Texans, three of which he started.

With Gipson out of the lineup, the Texans will have to find a suitable replacement to cover tight ends. Crennel knows that only time will disclose the truth.

“Only time will tell, but he was a starter and he made plays in the game,” said Crennel. “He helped us, so we’ll have to see how that goes. We still have experienced players that can play on the back end and we’ll have to see how they play and if it impacts us positively or negatively.”

Gipson collected 51 tackles, three interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and eight pass breakups in his 14 games for Houston, all of which he started.

What Addae does bring to the secondary is playoff experience. With the Chargers franchise, the former 2013 undrafted safety from Central Michigan played in four postseason games, collecting 32 tackles, two for losses, forcing a fumble, and recovering another.

The Texans could use that level of playmaking when they take on the Buffalo Bills at 3:35 p.m. CT on Saturday at NRG Stadium. Houston seeks their first playoff win since Jan. 7, 2017, while the Bills are long-suffering after experiencing their last on Dec. 30, 1995.

A telling stat that proves the Texans upgraded their secondary in 2019

The Houston Texans are reaping the benefits of bringing in new secondary members, as four are allowing less than the league average passer rating.

The Houston Texans entered the 2019 offseason with a major concern, among others: their secondary.

In 2018, Houston’s secondary struggled mightily, no matter the personnel or schematics. They sought to fix that in the offseason by bringing-in numerous members to the group. Four of those new members have paid off as coverage players.

The Texans boast four secondary members allowing below the league-average in passer rating (90.9). All four of those players were not on the roster in 2018.

Safety Tashaun Gipson has allowed a 47.4 passer rating in coverage in 2019, per Pro Football Reference. Cornerback Bradley Roby follows with a 79.4. Corner Keion Crossen follows Roby with an 81.9. Rounding out the group is safety Jahleel Addae with a 90.8.

Cornerback Gareon Conley nearly made the group; he allows a 92.4 in coverage.

Perhaps the most telling statistics are Gipson’s and Roby’s, who are both starters in the Texans’ defense. Houston plucked both of them in free agency, signing Gipson to a three-year deal and Roby to a one-year contract. Both have proven to be revelations in the Texans’ secondary.

Crossen has not seen a start in the Texans’ defense. His third-ranked, for the Texans, passer rating allowed comes while playing 103 snaps in Houston’s secondary.

Addae rounds-out the list. Though not a starter, he plays an integral role as Houston’s third safety behind Gipson and Justin Reid. The former Los Angeles Charger has 489 defensive snaps on the season.

The Texans remain to be a leaky pass defense, allowing the third-most passing yards per game (270.9). However, that may not be due to the secondary. The pass-rush has struggled mightily throughout the year, acting like the NFL’s worst since J.J. Watt’s torn pectoral in Week 8.

Houston’s secondary may not be all-world. However, it’s not one of the biggest wholes on the roster. They targeted help in the offseason and found just that. If the pass-rush can improve, the Texans can slowly build-up a pass defense that can hold-up.

Texans S Jahleel Addae’s game-clinching pick hit home

On Saturday, Houston Texans safety Jahleel Addae made a play on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he will never forget.

Growing up in Valrico, Fla., east of Tampa, Jahleel Addae’s earliest memories of professional football had to do with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As a nine-year-old, he got an up-close view of the Bucs, playing in a halftime football game. On Saturday, 20 years later, he returned as a member of the Houston Texans and made his mark.

“I remember being nine years old and running through the lockers and just fantasizing, wishing that we could meet them (the players) and to come back here after 20 years, do what I did today in front of my friends and family is special,” Addae told reporters postgame. “It’s a blessing.”

With 1:31 left in Saturday’s match, the Texans held a three-point lead. Upset, it was in jeopardy with Jameis Winston moving the ball. Like he did 20 years ago, however, Addae came to play.

Winston targeted running back Dare Ogunbowale on a quick-out. Addae got there first and picked it off. The takeaway gave the Texans their 10th win of the season and the AFC South crown.

“I was in man-to-man with the running back, they came out in empty and I read his shoulders,” Addae said. “He started leaning toward the sideline and I said, ‘Risk it or biscuit,’ and I went and got it.”

Addae celebrated. He was going to the playoffs as a member of the Texans. He also got to perform and excel in front of 30 or so family and friends, as he said, to create a moment that will never elude him.

“This is a special moment for life,” Addae said. “I could take this one with me for the rest of my life. All these memories; my son in the stands, my family, my friends, and my parents getting to drive back home and wear this one on their chest.”  

WATCH: Texans safety Jahleel Addae gets fourth interception of Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston

Houston Texans safety Jahleel Addae produced the fourth interception of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston in a 23-20 win Saturday.

The Houston Texans had a field day with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, intercepting him four times on the afternoon.

Safety Jahleel Addae abruptly ended the Bucs’ penultimate drive of the game with an interception with 1:31 to go on a third-and-1 from the Tampa Bay 38-yard line.

The interception was the fourth career pick for Addae, who also added an interception in Week 9 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. For the 29-year-old, who signed with the Texans in free agency, the takeaway was another example of how impactful he has been in a safety group headlined by Justin Reid and Tashaun Gipson.