Houston Texans’ third-year cornerback Kevin Johnson has really been struggling in 2017.
With cornerback A.J. Bouye now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the hope was that Kevin Johnson, a 2015 first round pick, would be able to fill the void this season for the Houston Texans. So far that hasn’t been the case.
Unfortunately, Johnson has struggled a lot this season. Especially against the Seattle Seahawks this past Sunday.
Kevin Johnson targeted and beaten on the last two throws, including the Paul Richardson TD #Texans
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) October 29, 2017
Texans Wire pointed out that Johnson is the 114th ranked cornerback in the NFL out of 114 cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
When looking at Johnson’s PFF profile, it says he’s actually ranked 115th with an overall grade of 32.3 so far this season.
Now you could argue that Johnson could be struggling due to the fact that the Texans’ pass rush isn’t the same without both J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus. But getting burned deep can’t be blamed on a lack of a pass rush.
More from Toro Times
- Houston Texans Draft: Michael Mayer should be a no doubter at pick 12
- Houston Texans already telling fans the Davis Mills era is over
- Houston Texans have hand forced, waste no time in firing Lovie Smith
- Houston Texans: Pros and Cons of keeping Head Coach Lovie Smith
- There is just one way the Texans can lose the No. 1 pick
This might be why the Texans went out and acquired cornerback Jeremy Lane from the Seattle Seahawks as a part of a deal that sent left tackle Duane Brown to the pacific northwest.
In case you’re wondering, Lane’s Pro Football Focus grade is not much better than Johnson’s this season. He’s the 101st ranked cornerback with an overall grade of 42.8.
If things don’t work out with Lane, the good news is that the Texans have an easy way to get rid of him without costing themselves anything, since his contract for the 2018 and 2019 seasons aren’t guaranteed.
The Texans currently have the 22nd ranked pass defense in the NFL, since they give up an average of 238 yards per game through the air.
Houston will have a bit of a break this week given the fact that they’re facing the Indianapolis Colts, who don’t have a very explosive offense.