One of the roles DeAndre Hopkins excelled at for the Houston Texans was slot receiver. The team would have to replace that function after trading the three-time All-Pro to the Arizona Cardinals at the start of free agency.
To compensate, the club signed free agent receiver Randall Cobb, who has made an impression with quarterback Deshaun Watson through the Texans’ first seven games.
“He understands his position,” Watson said. “He understands what it takes to be great in this league and the position and the role that he has is very — he’s going to get those crossers.”
The former 2011 Green Bay Packers second-round pick has provided the Texans with 30 catches for 372 yards and two touchdowns, including one pass attempt of his own that fell incomplete in the Week 6 loss at the Tennessee Titans.
“He’s going to get those bang-bang plays where he has to be strong and he’s a veteran guy who knows how to catch balls,” said Watson. “Especially coming from a guy like Aaron Rodgers who’s putting it on him, he’s going to be able to learn and catch and different things over his career. Then he comes to me who has that same mentality, it just makes everything kind of a little bit more smoother for him.”
Along with deep threats Will Fuller and Brandin Cooks, Cobb gives the Texans an option to pick up routes underneath, and also gives Houston a great veteran presence in the locker room.
Said Watson: “He’s been a great weapon, a great receiver, a great person, but an even better teammate. Just being able to teach me and coach me and coach all the other receivers has been awesome to have him around. I’m definitely squeezing as much knowledge and wisdom as I can out of him.”
Watson has another chance to squeeze more production out of Cobb as the Texans take on the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at TIAA Bank Field.