Keke Coutee has had a rather inequitable first two seasons in the NFL.
The former 2018 fifth-round pick was limited to six games with a hamstring injury in his rookie season. Still, Coutee was able to provide impressive performances, notably 11 catches for 109 yards in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts and 11 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown in the wild-card against the Colts.
The former Texas Tech Red Raider was going to blow up in 2019.
Instead, an ankle injury in the first preseason game derailed his second season. Coutee didn’t have peak performances against the Colts. In fact, in the Week 7 encounter, linebacker Darius Leonard ripped the ball away from his grasp for a game-ending interception. The next week, Coutee didn’t see a single snap despite being against against the Oakland Raiders.
Coutee hasn’t let past failures get him down, and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly has seen it in his work throughout training camp.
“Keke has done a really good job of coming back and doing everything that we’ve asked him to do,” Kelly said. “He’s been able to go out there and make plays when they’ve come his way, building trust with the quarterbacks and being where he is supposed to be when he’s supposed to be there.”
Coutee has the speed and quickness to find the openings in defenses to create targets. Thus far, Kelly has been impressed with that aspect of Coutee’s abilties.
“Again, at the end of the day, the biggest part of that position is getting open and catching the football,” said Kelly. “Keke’s doing a great job of that.”
The Texans’ receiving corps is very crowded with the club signing Randall Cobb in free agency and trading for Brandin Cooks to add to existing talent in Will Fuller and Kenny Stills. DeAndre Carter has found his niche on special teams as a punt returner, but Coutee is challenging for that role, too. If Coutee can finish camp strong, he should find a spot on the Texans’ roster.
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