The Houston Texans news for Ross Blacklock is he’s now wearing No. 90, but that number does have some quality history behind it.
Though the Houston Texans news following the draft has mellowed out some, the franchise announced jersey numbers for players added to the roster this offseason, and Ross Blacklock has joined the No. 90 club.
The No. 90 which the rookie defensive tackle Blacklock is slated to wear puts him as the eighth player to have that jersey number for the Texans, and the first to wear the number since 2018 when it belonged to Jadeveon Clowney.
Blacklock isn’t only joining Clowney, who had the number from 2014-18 after being the No. 1 overall pick, but the second Texans player to have that jersey number was Mario Williams — also a No. 1 overall pick — from 2006-11.
Jeff Tarpinian, D.J. Smith, and Mike Mohamed all were given the number in 2013 in uneventful tenures with the team, and in 2012 the number belonged to Terrell McClain. The very first Texans player to wear No. 90 was Terrance Martin in 2003.
Before we look into the latest Texans news with Blacklock having the No. 90, the jersey for Houston fans was made famous by the two No. 1 overall picks Williams and Clowney. That duo wore the number a combined 144 times in the regular season, with a combined 82 sacks coming from the two defensive ends during that timeframe.
Houston Texans News: Mario Williams set standard with No. 90
When Mario Williams became the second player in Texans history to don the No. 90 for the franchise, he did so for six straight seasons before leaving to join the Buffalo Bills and later the Miami Dolphins. During his time with the Texans, Williams played 82 games, all being starts.
In those seasons, Williams collected 53 sacks, 241 combined tackles (192 solo tackles), 64 tackles for loss, 93 QB hits, 11 passes defensed, 11 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and he even scored a touchdown.
Williams played in two Pro Bowls while a member of the Texans, and in 2008 he had four forced fumbles to go with his 12 sacks that season. His best sack season while with Houston was 2007 when Williams totaled 14 sacks of the opposing quarterback.
Houston Texans News: Jadeveon Clowney left a legacy with No. 90
When Jadeveon Clowney began to wear No. 90, he most likely knew how well-regarded Mario Williams left that number, and how it was up to him to bring the prestige back to that jersey.
Clowney wore the number from 2014-18, and in five seasons with the Texans, Clowney played in 62 regular-season games (55 starts) where he finished with 29 sacks, 205 total tackles (151 solo) with 64 tackles for loss, 67 QB hits, 11 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and two touchdowns.
The defense has not fully recovered after trading Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks, because they’ve yet to find an equal replacement for what he brought to the Texans defense when he was on the field.
Houston Texans News: Can Ross Blacklock be the next memorable No. 90?
Both Williams and Clowney had great moments and solid careers while with the Texans, and now it is time to see how well Ross Blacklock can adjust to being a defensive tackle in the NFL. The 40th overall pick from the 2020 NFL Draft has all of the ability in the world to excel at defensive tackle, and not only is he wearing a famous Texans number, but for added pressure, Blacklock is replacing D.J. Reader, who in his five seasons with the Texans carved out a nice legacy of his own.
Blacklock has all of the abilities to make the No. 90 his with the Texans, and to be honest, he most likely will be a player that Texans fans will come to respect for his play on the field if he keeps up the progression from his collegiate days at TCU.
The exciting part about Blacklock joining the Texans this season is he has shown he can work hard, and can improve his game from year-to-year. He also had a first round grade by some during this past draft process, so for the Texans to get him in the second round was already a blessing.
With Blacklock being on the roster the No. 90 should be in good hands with the defensive tackle. If he’s able to reach success while wearing it, that will only add to the history of that number for years to come.