The Houston Texans may have found a gem in second-year wide receiver Amari Rodgers, who was acquired by the team via the waiver system last week. After finding himself on the outs with the Green Bay Packers the former third-round pick was in need of a fresh start, and Houston was more than happy to take a literal waiver on his services.
An interesting development has been the speculation around Rodgers’ use in the Texans’ system. Instead of relying on him to catch passes, it seems the team is more inclined to start him as a returner on special teams. The unit’s coordinator, Frank Ross, spoke to reporters on Wednesday about how thrilled he is to have Rodgers in the mix and was clearly excited about the new weapon he has at his disposal.
“Kind of what we said before. You have a new body added to the roster, good athletic skill set,” Ross said of Rodgers. “We’ll integrate everybody into the scheme and our roles that we see them fitting in. Relative to whoever is available at the game, we’re going to use that player to our advantage.”
While Rodgers may take some time to actually see the field for Houston, it isn’t out of the question that he could carve himself a niche on the special teams unit with solid production through the end of the season. Given the Texans’ 1-8-1 record, anything is on the table for the team in terms of personnel changes, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he starts getting repetitions as soon as he and the coaching staff feel he is ready to make an impact.
Rodgers has the potential to be one of the more significant mid-season additions to Houston’s roster, and at this point, all he needs is a chance to show what he can do for their minimal investment to start paying major dividends.