Houston Texans receiver Keke Coutee has struggled with playing time since 2019.
According to offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, what will help the former 2018 fourth-round pick from Texas Tech see more playing time in the future, whether with Kelly as coordinator or with a new coaching staff, is for Coutee to protect the football.
“Obviously, ball security is the first and the most important thing that we need to be worried about first and foremost,” Kelly said. “He’s protecting the football, all that stuff.”
Kelly doesn’t necessarily fault Coutee for his fumble against the Indianapolis Colts that sealed their 27-20 Week 15 loss. Coutee was two yards away from scoring before getting hit by linebacker Darius Leonard. Indianapolis recovered the loose ball in the end zone for a touchback.
“You’re kind of fork-tonguing him, too, because in that situation you’re six inches away from the goal line, you’re trying to score,” said Kelly. “He gets hit by an All-Pro linebacker who blindsides him. There’s a lot of variables that go into it. It wasn’t like he was being reckless or being careless with the ball. He’s just going out there and trying to make a play and help our team to win.”
Though Coutee has three lost fumbles on the season, with two in the past two weeks, Kelly believes the 5-11, 180-pound former Lufkin Panther will rebound from the setback.
Said Kelly: “Keke’s doing a good job of fighting through it and I think he’s excited to get out there and play and really move on to the next play, the next game. All that good stuff.”
The Texans take on the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium. It will be an opportunity for Coutee to emphasize ball security while also adding positive plays to his 2020 tape that the new coaching staff will be looking at.