The Houston Texans continue to be in the headlines as they have switched gears and addressed the defensive side of the football with their latest moves.
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The big news -and I do mean Big- was the addition of defensive lineman Vince Wilfork to the Texans’ fold. The 33-year-old signed a two-year deal worth $9 million, with $5 million guaranteed. The move is a win-win situation for both parties involved.
Houston is adding a formidable talent to a defense that was already ranked top ten in the league. For his part, Wilfork will have an unlimited supply of barbecue restaurants to visit. A video taken by Wilfork’s wife, Bianca, last summer shows the massive lineman happily shaking what his mama gave him as he works on his grill master skills.
"“It’s a young, exciting team to be around. My goal is to just bring leadership, bring a lot of fun and bring a lot of experience, ” Wilfork said after the announcement of his move south from New England via espn.com"
During his 11 seasons with the Patriots, Wilfork made four Super Bowl appearances, two of which resulted in league titles. The work ethic, obvious talent and all around positive vibe that Wilfork will bring to the lockerroom can mean nothing but good things for the Texans’ defense…and likely bad news for their opponents.
Another move that no doubt resulted in a sigh of relief throughout the Texans’ fan base was the re-signing of cornerback Kareem Jackson to a new four-year deal. The two sides agreed to terms just two days before the standout secondary member would have hit the free agency open market.
To further shore up their secondary, Houston also added safety Rahim Moore to the mix. Although he is most often remembered for an 2013 AFC playoff blunder that set up the end of the Denver Broncos Super Bowl bid, there is much more to the 25-year-old than that. In the 2014 season, Moore played some of his best football, with a career-high four interceptions, 44 solo tackles, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Moore will attempt to fill the shoes of free safety Kendrick Lewis, who made a free agency departure to the Baltimore Ravens. Lewis was a major cog in the wheel of the Texans’ defense in 2014, with 84 combined tackles, three forced fumbles and two interceptions.
With the needs that the Texans are facing on the offensive side of the football taking center stage, it would have been easy for Houston to overlook possible improvements on defense. Addressing the issue of losing Lewis without delay and adding a veteran like Wilfork are positive signs that the Texans’ front office folks are leaving no loose ends in their efforts to get the team over the playoff hump in 2015.