Evaluating Houston Texans’ free agent acquisitions through the bye week
By Jair Lopez
Defense
The majority of free-agent signings in the offseason by the Houston Texans have been on the defensive side of the football. Bradley Roby, Tashaun Gipson, and Jahleel Addae have been good additions to the Texans secondary, but a combination of injuries and lack of chemistry has led to some early struggles.
The Texans’ pass defense ranks 27th in the league and are allowing an average of 277.3 passing yards per game. The secondary has been giving up a significant amount of yardage against opposing quarterbacks, but they have shown promise despite the statistics indicating otherwise.
Addae has been productive as the third safety on the roster and has been more than capable replacement while Gipson has been sidelined with back and wrist injuries. Addae has 23 tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception through nine games.
Gipson has 25 tackles, two interceptions, and has been as well as advertised in coverage against tight ends. On the other hand, Roby has displayed the speed the Texans lacked in the past to keep up with the faster receivers and has been one of the better cornerbacks in Houston’s depth chart when healthy.
The Texans addressed the needs they had last season and will have a better defense once they are healthy again, but it will take time for them to gel as a unit.
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Meanwhile, it will be intriguing to see Boddy-Calhoun’s role with the team, with the Texans getting healthy again at the cornerback position. There are currently seven cornerbacks on the roster that could be ready to play after the bye week, so a move could be coming soon to reduce the number of cornerbacks to address another need on the roster.