Honey Badger is coming to Houston, Texans sign Tyrann Mathieu
A much needed upgrade is coming to the Houston Texans. The Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu, has agreed to terms with Houston on a one-year deal. ESPN’s Adam Schefter had the report Friday evening.
Former Cardinals’ safety Tyrann Mathieu reached agreement on a one-year deal with the Houston Texans, sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2018
Compensation update: Former Cardinals’ safety Tyrann “Honeybadger” Mathieu is signing a one-year, $7 million deal with the Houston Texans, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2018
New teammate J.J. Watt shared his excitement on Twitter shortly afterwards.
https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/974832754310418432
Yes those are pots of honey, a nod to Mathieu’s nickname.
Mathieu’s arrival is much needed after a dreadful season for the Texans secondary. Additionally help was also needed since Marcus Gilchrist departed for Oakland, signing a one-year deal per Ian Rapoport.
Former #Texans safety Marcus Gilchrist is signing a 1-yr deal with the #Raiders, source said. Another defensive signing today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2018
Houston desperately needed to upgrade their secondary and by signing Mathieu they did just that. Mathieu has 11 interceptions in his career, one of which resulted in a touchdown. An integral part of the Cardinals secondary, Mathieu successfully defended 41 passes in five seasons. Mathieu’s best season came in 2015 when he finished with five interceptions and the aforementioned touchdown.
Mathieu’s injury history
There are concerns with Mathieu. This is due to a couple of major injuries. In 2013 Mathieu tore both his ACL and LCL in his left leg. In 2015 disaster struck again as Mathieu tore his right ACL, effectively ending his season. Mathieu’s 2016 campaign was cut short due to shoulder injuries. Mathieu is a dynamic player but seemingly struggles to play full season consistently. However Mathieu did appear in all 16 games in 2017, finishing with two interceptions and seven pass defenses.
Texans get flexibility with Mathieu’s contract
One of the most important aspects of Mathieu’s contact is that it is only for one year. If Mathieu suffers another catastrophic injury they can move on next season. If Mathieu plays well and appears in the majority of games they can offer him a larger longterm contract after this season.
What it all comes down to is the Texans lacked playmakers last season in the secondary. With Mathieu now in the fold this no longer an issue. The Texans as a team only intercepted 11 passes in 2017, which is tied for 10th-fewest with four other teams. This total is only half of Baltimore’s league leading 22 interceptions from last season. With Mathieu patrolling the back end of the secondary, it appears more than likely that they will be closer to the top of the list this season rather than the bottom.