It’s no secret that the Houston Texans believe in defense first, offense later. And although much of the teams’ impending success will rely on the position battle occurring under center, the front office is still very much active in giving the defense every opportunity to add some new faces and upgrade overall. Defensive tackle Brandon Deaderick has now become one of those faces.
Only playing 344 snaps of defense last year on the Saints, who found it difficult to consistently stop the run, he’s nowhere near a guaranteed spot on the Texans’ roster but he’ll have the rest of the offseason to make his case. Having played five years in the league already, Deaderick is no stranger to pleading his argument to make a roster. He will, however, most likely be tested the hardest he’s experienced, to impress tough Houston squad.
He won’t be alone in joining this challenge as he’ll get to play alongside some old alumni friends who are also enjoying football action with the Texans. Deaderick played for Nick Saban at Alabama during the 2009 BCS Championship run. Cornerback Kareem Jackson came out of Alabama, as well as defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan and defensive tackle Brandon Ivory.
Deaderick has only picked up eight tackles last year with the Saints but has had starting experience with the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars.
While the Texans have openly looked for potential starters before, this year, Deaderick must know it’s an uphill climb to find a spot on the D-line. Still, crazier things have happened before.