Tag: Texans secondary

Texans place CB Tavierre Thomas on injured reserve

The Houston Texans have placed CB Tavierre Thomas on injured reserve for Week 15.

The Houston Texans’ secondary continues to take attrition.

The Texans placed cornerback Tavierre Thomas on injured reserve Saturday as the team makes preparations for Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans Sunday at 12:00 p.m. at Nissan Stadium.

The 27-year-old from Ferris State generated 51 combined tackles with two tackles for loss along with two forced fumbles and a pass breakup through nine games, five of which he started.

Houston also declared receiver Steven Sims and linebacker Garret Wallow as their standard elevations from the practice squad.

The Texans also activated kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn from injured reserve, ensuring the former Lou Groza Award winner will be able to go against the Titans.

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Texans waive Shaq Griffin, elevate Desmond King amongst flurry of transactions

The Texans made several roster moves on Wednesday, including the decision to waive Shaq Griffin

The Houston Texans are making moves.

The team stayed busy on Wednesday afternoon following an announcement that right tackle Tytus Howard, stationed at left guard for most of the 2023 campaign, is going to miss the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury.

Shortly after the announcement, Houston waived cornerback Shaq Griffin. Griffin started multiple contests for the Texans this season in the absence of Derek Stingley but had played zero snaps at corner the last two games after his interception of Joe Burrow in the Week 10 win over Cincinnati.

After that, it was a series of roster formalities for Houston around the rest of their team. Altogether, they made the following moves:

  • Waived CB Shaq Griffin
  • Placed RT Tytus Howard on Injured Reserve
  • Signed CB Desmond King to the 53-man roster
  • Reinstated LB Denzel Perryman following his 3 game suspension
  • Signed K Matt Ammendola to the practice squad
  • Signed LB Garrett Wallow to the practice squad

Perryman and Ammendola are expected to resume their starting positions at middle linebacker and kicker, respectively, for the team’s game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. King, who was with Houston in the pre-season, may be asked to assist Tavierre Thomas at the nickel cornerback position as he gets up to speed with the defense.

CB Desmond King sees rejoining Texans as ‘fresh start’

In returning to the Houston Texans, cornerback Desmond King sees a fresh start in a familiar place.

As Houston Texans cornerback Tavierre Thomas sat down at his locker, he was greeted by an old friend who didn’t speak a word. He just gave Thomas a look, and both men erupted in laughter, keeping the reporters in attendance in suspense, wondering what the inside joke was all about.

That camaraderie was something that Thomas had missed after defensive back Desmond King was surprisingly cut at the conclusion of training camp this past summer after spending the prior two seasons with the Texans. The Pittsburgh Steelers quickly added him to their roster, hoping to use his unique skill set to help them get through the rough AFC North, but after three games, including one against the Texans, the Steelers released him.

King, 28, went to San Diego, California, to train and keep himself in shape while spending time with his one-year-old daughter. When that call came from his agent that Houston wanted to sign him to the practice squad and bring him back home, King was ready to come back to the franchise, where he started 25 of 33 games, recording 182 tackles and five interceptions.

“I am excited to be back,” King said after practice on Wednesday. “That’s all that matters. Giving me a second chance here to come back and be with the family; I missed these guys so much. Just to see them doing well, it’s good to be back in a good presence with them.

“I feel like this is an opportunity for me just to come out here and play ball. Not to think too much about it and come here with a clear mind. Like I have said before, this is a fresh start; just go in and do what I do best, and that is play football.”

Although King was not a part of the team, he kept up with his former teammates from a distance, watching the amount of success they were having and keeping themselves in a position to win the AFC South title.

“I was still watching even when I was away; I was still watching the guys and still rooting for them,” King said. “It’s good just to see them doing well and being a part of the family.”

The Texans recognized King and Thomas’s bond on and off the field as they talked continuously about football and life. So, when King returned, they placed his locker next to Thomas’s so the bond could continue growing.

“It is great to have him back,” Thomas said. “He is very versatile and will help me out a lot. He is going to help the back end out a lot in general because he can play all positions. Just having him back is a blessing. That is my brother, and anytime I can play with my brother, I am happy.”

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Texans sign CB Desmond King to the practice squad

The Houston Texans have signed cornerback Desmond King to the practice squad.

The Houston Texans are going with a familiar face to help out in the secondary.

The Texans signed corner Desmond King to the practice squad Monday. Houston previously rostered King from 2021-22 wherein the former Pro Bowler played 33 games for the Texans. King collected 182 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, five interceptions, 14 pass breakups, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries while with the Texans.

Houston released King at the end of preseason, and he spent three games with the Pittsburgh Steelers primarily as their kick returner. King returned four kickoffs for 88 yards. King logged one defensive snap compared to 15 special teams snaps.

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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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Texans waive S Grayland Arnold among Week 9 transactions

The Houston Texans have waived safety Grayland Arnold as part of their roster moves ahead of Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Houston Texans tinkered with their secondary ahead of their Week 9 encounter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at NRG Stadium.

Houston waived safety Grayland Arnold. The former Baylor product generated 18 combined tackles, a tackle for loss, and a forced fumble through seven games for the Texans. Grayland played 143 defensive snaps for the Texans along with 110 special teams snaps.

The Texans signed cornerback signed cornerback D’Angelo Ross from the practice squad to the active roster. Ross has played three games for Houston and logged three tackles.

As part of Houston’s standard elevations from the practice squad, the Texans are sending up guard Dieter Eiselen.

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Texans DC Matt Burke notes challenge of defending Bucs WR Mike Evans

Houston Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke covered how difficult a matchup Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans can be.

What has helped Mike Evans dominate as one of the NFL’s premier receivers is his uncoachable size at 6-5, 231 pounds. When defenders have the perfect coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver, Evans has still found a way to make the play.

Houston Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke is well aware of Evans’ signature play, and knows his secondary will be challenged Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time against the Bucs in Week 9 at NRG Stadium.

“He’s obviously a bigger receiver,” Burke said. “I guess the frustration would lie where like he could still make a play — like you could be in good coverage and tight coverage and he can just go up and make the play.”

Good coverage simply won’t be enough; Texans defenders will have to fight to the whistle.

“Obviously, for us to preach battling through the catch and being physical at the point where the ball is in the air, I mean, he has a good knack for getting separation , I’ll put it that way,” said Burke. “I think that would be the frustration — that you can be in a good call and in good coverage and he can still obviously go up and make a play.

“I think the point of emphasis for us is just really finishing through the catchpoint and really trying to battle at those points is going to be big for us.”

Houston’s defense has done well to defend against receivers in 2023. Opposing wideouts have combined for 89 catches for 1,009 yards and two touchdowns, ranking ninth-, sixth-, and second-best in the league.

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Texans release CB D’Angelo Ross

The Houston Texans have released cornerback D’Angelo Ross.

The Houston Texans are parting ways with a veteran cornerback.

The Texans announced Monday they have released D’Angelo Ross from their active roster.

The former 2019 undrafted free agent played two games for the Texans. Ross was on the field for 35 special teams snaps across two games against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5 and the New Orleans Saints in Week 6.

The 26-year-old previously played for the New England Patriots from 2019-21 and then spent time with the Miami Dolphins in 2022 as a member of their offseason roster. Ross joined Houston in late November as a member of the practice squad and later signed a reserve/future contract at the end of the season.

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Texans’ depth has kept team afloat at 3-3

The Houston Texans’ depth has been one of the reasons the club has held forth with a 3-3 record heading into the bye week.

The Houston Texans have been beneficiaries of the unlikely through the first six weeks of 2023.

Normally rookie quarterbacks have learning curves they must negotiate as they acclimate to the pro game. C.J. Stroud has hit the ground running and ranks eighth in the NFL among qualifiers with a 96.4 passer rating.

Similarly challenges to a team’s depth can curtail any progress and mar a record, rendering a team fighting uphill the rest of the season. Instead the Texans have dealt with injuries to the offensive line and secondary adeptly as the club collected a 3-3 record going into the bye week.

“I think what we’ve tried to do is just build up as much depth across the roster as much as possible, understanding that we’re probably going to need everybody at some point,” general manager Nick Caserio said Oct. 17. “You really don’t know when. We probably were hit harder at some positions relative to others, from training camp and through the early part of the season, which was I’d say the fall process and some of the players that we did there around the cut and right before the end of training camp there.”

Houston was ready for attrition in the secondary with waves of defensive backs. As snaps were lost from cornerbacks Derek Stingley, Tavierre Thomas, safeties Jimmie Ward, and Jalen Pitre, the Texans were able to count on Shaquill Griffin, Grayland Arnold, and Eric Murray to fill their roles.

The offensive line was more nuanced as Houston lost two of its starting center prospects, starting left guard, and starting tackles. For a team hoping to field Laremy Tunsil, Kenyon Green, Juice Scruggs, and Tytus Howard, the Texans went with Josh Jones, Kendrick Green, Jarrett Patterson, and George Fant by Week 4.

Somehow Stroud managed to stay upright, and the Texans are in the thick of the AFC South race as they are a game out from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“Can’t feel sorry for yourself,” said Caserio. “You just have to embrace the challenge and just try to come up with solutions. Our job is to fix problems and find solutions. Sometimes it’s players, sometimes it’s scheme. There’s a myriad of things that could possibly come up. I think the players that we’ve brought in, we brought them in because we thought they could help us, and maybe some have played maybe a little bit more than others, but that’s the NFL.”

Houston gets back in action Oct. 29 in Week 8 at the Carolina Panthers.

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Texans sign former Chargers, 49ers CB Jason Verrett to practice squad

The Houston Texans have brought in one of DeMeco Ryans’ former cornerbacks in Jason Verrett, an addition to the practice squad.

The Houston Texans are adding another former cornerback from DeMeco Ryans’ time with the San Francisco 49ers

The team announced Wednesday they have signed former San Diego Chargers and 49ers cornerback Jason Verrett to the practice squad.

The former 2014 first-rounder has been hobbled with injuries since 2017 when a knee injury limited the TCU product to one game. In 2018, Verrett tore his Achilles in training camp, and then signed with the 49ers in 2019 where he played just one game before an ankle injury claimed his season.

The only season where Verrett has been healthy since leaving the Chargers is in 2020. Verrett generated 60 combined tackles, two interceptions, and seven pass breakups through 13 games for the 49ers.

In 2021, Verrett played one game as he tore his ACL in Week 1. In 2022, a stint on the PUP list delayed his start to the season, which was short-lived anyway given he tore his Achilles in November.

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