Tag: Kevin Pierre-Louis

Texans activate LB Zach Cunningham off COVID-19 reserve among other roster moves

The Houston Texans have activated linebacker Zach Cunningham from the COVID-19 reserve among other roster transactions.

The Houston Texans have moved linebacker Zach Cunningham off the COVID-19 reserve.

The former 2017 second-round pick from Vanderbilt was deemed a close contact Oct. 1 and placed on the reserve. Cunningham subsequently missed the Texans’ 40-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

The Texans also designated linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis for return from injured reserve.

Houston signed receiver Damion Davis from Sam Houston State to the practice squad and also signed rookie Damon Hazelton to the practice squad.

The Texans also made official the release of receiver Anthony Miller.

Houston gets back in action in Week 5 with a home tilt against the New England Patriots Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time from NRG Stadium.

Texans vs. Jaguars Thursday injury report: LB Kevin Pierre-Louis did not participate

The Houston Texans released their second injury report of Week 1, and LB Kevin Pierre-Louis did not participate.

The Houston Texans released their second injury report of Week 1 as they prepare to host the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at NRG Stadium.

The Texans still had five players on the injury report, including quarterback Deshaun Watson. However, linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, who initially was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, was downgraded to a non-participant in Thursday’s practice.

Texans

Player Injury Participation
QB Deshaun Watson Not injury related Did not participate
S Lonnie Johnson Thigh Did not participate
LB Kevin Pierre-Louis Thigh Did not participate
DE Whitney Mercilus Thigh Limited
DT Maliek Collins Knee Limited

Jaguars

Player Injury Participation
CB Tre Herndon Knee Did not participate
CB Tyson Campbell Calf Calf

 

Texans LB Kevin Pierre-Louis says ‘proof is in the film’ with Zach Cunningham

New Houston Texans linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis says the evidence for Zach Cunningham’s play can be found on tape.

Zach Cunningham led the NFL with 164 combined tackles and 106 solo tackles. The former 2017 second-round linebacker from Vanderbilt is a player other linebackers across the league know about.

Linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, who signed with the Houston Texans in free agency, says that Cunningham is a player he has seen plenty of on tape.

“He’s a guy that I’ve watched a lot of film on,” Pierre-Louis told reporters on a Zoom call on May 20. “I don’t know him personally as of yet, but the dude is talented. He can make plays. The proof is in the film.”

Cunningham was the lone bright spot on a defense that could muster just nine takeaways throughout the 2020 season en route to a 4-12 finish. The 26-year-old collected 3.0 sacks, seven tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble through 16 starts as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.

“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to potentially play next to an individual like that,” said Pierre-Louis. “He’s going to bring what he’s been bringing for the past couple of years, so there’s no doubt in my mind that everything is going to go well with him. He’s in the position he’s in for a reason.”

The Texans are transitioning to a Tampa-2 scheme with a 4-3 front. While some linebackers such as Whitney Mercilus will be playing as a down lineman, Cunningham will stay behind as a linebacker. His starting spot is the only one marked in ink at this point of the offseason. Pierre-Louis, who started 11 of his 13 games for Washington last season, is hopeful that he has one of the other two jobs alongside Cunningham locked down when Week 1 arrives.

Texans LB Kevin Pierre-Louis says Lovie Smith is more like a mentor

Houston Texans linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis says defensive coordinator Lovie Smith is more like a mentor than he is a coach.

The Houston Texans have a proven coach in defensive coordinator Lovie Smith. However, new linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis doesn’t see the former Chicago Bears coach as just that.

The 29-year-old, who has been in the NFL since 2014, views Smith more as a mentor than as a coach.

“You don’t really view him as a coach, just somewhat of a mentor, a person to look up to, a person to really think of and listen to,” Pierre-Louis said. “The fact that I get the opportunity to play under him is something I won’t take for granted, for sure.”

Pierre-Louis’ first interaction with Smith was in 2014 when he was entering the NFL draft. The former Boston College product eventually went to the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round, but Pierre-Louis did have a visit with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were coached at the time by Smith.

“The first time I met him was one of my visits coming out in 2014,” said Pierre-Louis. “A guy that has sort of like an aura around him. You just trust him right away.”

Pierre-Louis and the rest of the defense will have to trust in Smith’s schemes as the Texans seek to improve their defense, specifically in the takeaway department where Houston procured just nine throughout all of 2020, the absolute worst in the league.

Texans LB Kevin Pierre-Louis calls 2020 with Washington a ‘blessing’

New Houston Texans linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis considers his 2020 season with Washington to be a “blessing” for his career.

Kevin Pierre-Louis saw playing time in his career with the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears. However, he was a role player or played special teams.

In 2020, Pierre-Louis joined Washington and started of 11 of his 14 games played for coach Ron Rivera and in Jack Del Rio’s defensive scheme. The 29-year-old collected 56 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, and 1.0 sack.

Although Pierre-Louis did not get to stay with Washington and is now on his sixth team since entering the league as a 2014 fourth-round pick from Boston College, he looks at that lone season in the NFC East as a key point in his career.

“It was a blessing just to be able to get the snaps, see things I’ve been seeing for a while and get out there and help the team and just taking advantage of an opportunity,” Pierre-Louis said. “In this league, you don’t know when the opportunities are going to come, so you just have to do your best when they show up to take advantage of them. I did the best to my ability to do that last year.”

Pierre-Louis played for Rivera, who was new Houston defensive coordinator Lovie Smith’s defensive coordinator when he was coach of the Chicago Bears in 2006, the year Chicago went to the Super Bowl. While the Texans may not have their sights set on the Super Bowl in 2021, they do need to revamp their defense as they transition from a 3-4 to a Tampa-2 scheme with a 4-3 front. Pierre-Louis is the type of linebacker Houston will need as they make the transition.

Pro Football Focus ranks Texans’ free agency haul as ‘below average’

Pro Football Focus considers the Houston Texans’ 2021 NFL free agency haul to be “below average” in their latest evaluation.

The Houston Texans went nuts in free agency with 22 acquisitions either by trade or signing.

The strategy was part of general manager Nick Caserio’s philosophy to hit “singles and doubles” in free agency rather than going for the big home run.

As a result, the Texans have bolstered their roster with players who are known quantities. Albeit their ceilings are pretty low, the Texans have gathered truly dependable players to fill spots along the roster.

For Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson and Brad Spielberger, the approach was “unusual” and “throwing a lot at the wall.” As a result, the Texans’ free agency moves didn’t necessarily impress them with the only big upgrade being edge defender Kevin Pierre-Louis, previously with Washington.

There are moves in this group that look excellent on paper, such as signing linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis, who has back-to-back seasons with 80.0-plus PFF coverage grades, which also coincides with his heaviest workload on defense. In a league starved of good coverage linebacker play, Pierre-Louis is exactly the kind of smart gamble teams should take.

“We’re going to have to make sound decisions I would say, not to oversimplify it, but if we can meat-and-potatoes, hit some singles and doubles, try to improve the depth of our team, try to create as much competition as possible, really that’s probably the most rational strategy,” Caserio told Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] on March 12. “It doesn’t mean if we see a player that we think is to a point that we think he can help us and have an impact, we’ll always look at that. But just to understand that if you do that, it’s going to come at the expense of three other players.”

For Houston, the next phase in roster construction is the 2021 NFL draft. With just one pick in the top-100 at No. 67 overall in Round 3, it is unlikely Pro Football Focus will be handing out anything other than “below average” then, too.

Texans sign former Washington edge defender Kevin Pierre-Louis

The Houston Texans have signed former Washington outside linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis.

The Houston Texans have added another piece to their roster that will capitalize on layers of productive depth.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the club has agreed to terms with former Washington outside linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis. The 29-year-old’s contract is a two-year deal with a maximum value of $8 million.

Pierre-Louis’ contract includes $2.75 million total guaranteed with a $1.75 million base salary that is fully guaranteed in 2021. In 2022, Pierre-Louis’ contract has as non-guaranteed base salary of $2.75 million.

The contract also includes $750,000 per game active roster bonuses and a $500,000 annual play-time incentive.

Pierre-Louis had a productive 2020 campaign with Washington, collecting 56 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble in 13 games, 11 of which he started.

The Seattle Seahawks drafted Pierre-Louis in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. The Boston College product played for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017, the New York Jets in 2018, and the Chicago Bears in 2019.

LB Kevin Pierre-Louis agrees to 2-year, $8 million contract with Houston Texans

Former Washington LB Kevin Pierre-Louis has agreed to a 2-year deal with the Texans that will pay him $8 million after a year in D.C.

Another former Washington player is out the door on the first day of free agency in the NFL, with linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis agreeing to a 2-year deal with the Houston Texans that will pay him $8 million.

Pierre-Louis only spent one year with the Washington Football Team, where he joined on a cheap, one-year contract that saw him perform well and earn a new deal going forward. Pierre-Louis finished the season with 56 total tackles, one sack and one forced fumble, and was a solid piece of the defense.

We already knew that Washington had a big need at the LB position this offseason, but with the departure of KPL, that need has only gotten bigger.

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PFF pegs Kevin Pierre-Louis as free agent target for Bills

LB Kevin Pierre-Louis pegged as free agent target for Buffalo Bills in 2021 by Pro Football Focus.

In regard to linebackers and the upcoming offseason for the Bills, the focus is Matt Milano… but it’s complicated.

Due to the salary cap reportedly dropping somewhere between $180-185 million in 2020, it has long been an uphill battle for Buffalo in terms of re-signing Milano, a pending free agent.

A recent report suggests he’ll test the free agent market as well, so things have only gone from bad to worse.

If Milano does depart the Bills when free agency begins in March, they’ll need a replacement. If that guy filling the shoes is a free agent, Pro Football Focus suggests Kevin Pierre-Louis as the man for the job.

Here’s how PFF recently reasoned that:

Pierre-Louis has shown in his time on the field over the last two seasons that he can cover, earning a 91.0 coverage grade in 2019 and an 83.9 coverage grade in a larger role with the Washington Football Team this past season. His addition would help mask some of the coverage ability lost at the position with Milano.

Milano’s situation comes down to dollars and cents. Spotrac estimates his value on the open market at $13.8M per season. If the cap does land between $180-185M as reports suggest, the Bills’ current cap number is right in that range, so keeping Milano would be unlikely.

On Pierre-Louis, it remains to be seen how much he commands on the market. The 30-year-old had a better coverage grade than Milano in 2020, but the rest of his numbers left something to be desired. Perhaps Buffalo could roll with a rotation of Pierre-Louis and AJ Klein next season until a long-term solution can be found?

The money Pierre-Louis would land is unknown, but it certainly will be less than Milano. He signed a one-year, $3M deal with the Football Team a year ago and it was the first time in his career he made double-digit starts (11) in a season. Maybe he has earned more than $3M like he got on the market a year ago, but he won’t push $13.8M like Milano.

Overall, Pierre-Louis had 56 tackles in 13 games played, including three for loss, two passes defended, a forced fumble and a sack.

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Injuries to star players in Washington might put the winning streak in jeopardy vs. Seattle

With Alex Smith, Antonio Gibson, Morgan Moses, and Kevin Pierre-Louis all up in the air for Sunday, Washington’s chance at continuing their winning streak just got harder.

In order for the Washington Football Team to pull off another upset and beat the Seattle Seahawks this weekend, they will need to be close to full strength, if not at 100 percent to do so.

At the time being, it looks like they aren’t even close.

We’ve known that both QB Alex Smith and RB Antonio Gibson have been battling through injuries this week and will have their questionability unknown going into the weekend, but a few more players can be added to that list now as well, with RT Morgan Moses and LB Kevin Pierre-Louis not practicing on Friday either.

All of this, plus the fact that starting safety Deshazor Everett was placed on the injured reserve on Thursday after undergoing chest surgery to repair an injured pectoral, and Washington’s 4-game winning streak could be at real jeopardy this weekend against the Seahawks. We will wait to see what the injury report says and see if any of these supposed ‘game-time decisions’ can suit up on Sunday, but things aren’t looking great in Ashburn.

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