E.J. Gaines is in the Houston Texans’ radar after injuries

The Houston Texans brought in free agent cornerback E.J. Gaines in for a workout.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Texans worked out free agent cornerback E.J. Gaines. The Texans need to reinforce their secondary with Bradley Roby, Keion Crossen, and Johnathan Joseph dealing with injuries.

Joseph is expected to be ready for Week 8 against the Oakland Raiders, but the string of injuries he’s dealt with raises concerns at 35 years of age. Texans are running low on cornerbacks after placing Phillip Gaines on the injured reserve with an ankle injury he suffered late in the defeat against the Indianapolis Colts.

Texans acquired former 2017 first-round cornerback Gareon Conley from the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a 2020 third-round draft selection, but Houston could use more healthy defenders as they begin to enter the second stretch of the season.

Gaines is a talented cornerback since entering the league as a sixth-rounder in 2014 but has struggled to stay healthy in the past few seasons. He was placed on the injured reserve for the start of the season due to a groin injury with the Buffalo Bills but reached an agreement on an injury settlement to be a free agent.

Starting in 38 of the 43 games he’s played, Gaines has a total of 198 tackles, 33 pass deflections, four interceptions, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries through his six seasons in the league.

Texans have expressed interest in Gaines in the past once he hit the free agency in 2018 before deciding to sign former Texans cornerback, Aaron Colvin.