The Houston Texans are no strangers to scoring third-rounders from Stanford who contribute early.
In 2018, the Texans drafted safety Justin Reid with the 68th overall pick in Round 3. The younger brother of Pro Bowl safety Eric Reid instantly became an impact player and a leader for the Texans’ secondary, generating 315 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, 2.0 sacks, seven interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, 23 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries through 57 games, 53 of which he started.
The Texans and Reid weren’t able to agree on a contract extension in 2021, which means the 25-year-old is scheduled to become a free agent when the new league year kicks off at 3:00 p.m. Central Time on March 16.
Houston may have fallen out of favor as one of Reid’s preferred places in 2021 as he was declared inactive for the Week 12 contest at the Jacksonville Jaguars after violating team rules. The change at coach from David Culley to the promotion of defensive coordinator and associate head coach Lovie Smith may have changed some things, and the 63-year-old does have admiration for the safety.
“Justin Reid is an outstanding player,” Smith told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on March 2. “I’ll start off with that. Being with him of course one year, he’s a football guy. He wants to know every little detail about why we do things. I love that in a football player. He fits the profile.”
Smith is well aware of the business side to pro football, and is similarly enthused about Reid’s opportunity to earn a well deserved second contract, even if it is in another NFL city.
“When you get in the NFL and you play the amount of time he has and you get an opportunity to be a free agent, so you’re excited for him in that sense. But the business part takes care of itself.”
If the Texans are able to keep Reid, count Smith as one of many inside NRG Stadium who will be pleased.
“We’ll be pretty happy if Justin ends up coming back with us,” Smith said.