One player on the Houston Texans who deserves to stay on the main roster is Keke Coutee.
The Houston Texans news is known they have a few solid wide receivers who all have a role within the depth chart of the franchise, but one unknown for the 2020 season is whether Keke Coutee will earn a spot on the main roster.
In his rookie season of 2018, Coutee had some standout moments, whether it be in the regular season or when he has a standout game in the Wild Card playoffs. Then came last season where injuries — like his rookie season — arose at times, or there were games where Coutee was just left off the game day roster when healthy.
The Houston Texans news the first two seasons of Coutee’s career has been strange, to say the least. There have been games where he makes everyone notice him, then there are times where it seems like he’s upset head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien and Coutee is nowhere to be seen.
In two seasons with the Houston Texans, Coutee has 50 receptions in 15 regular-season games for 541 yards and one touchdown. Coutee averages 10.8 yards per reception in his two seasons, with his 2018 season seeing him gain 28 receptions and last season he caught 22 passes for the Houston Texans.
To put Coutee’s career in perspective, in 2018 he played in 24 percent of the Texans’ offensive snaps (267)m and last season that number jumped to 32 percent (338 snaps). Coutree didn’t play in either playoff game last season, but in 2018, that is the game where he stood out and made some folks think (including myself) he had the potential to take a few steps within the offense.
In the Houston Texans Wild Card game in 2018, Coutee caught 11 passes on 14 targets for 110 yards and one touchdown. That game showed what Coutee could do for the Texans, but so far he or the Houston Texans haven’t built on that performance.
Maybe 2019 is more like a “sophomore slump” type of season, but if Coutee makes the roster in 2019, he must get the proper opportunity to make himself more targeted on the offense and on the field more than 32 percent of the time in 2020.
Next are three reasons why Coutee should be on the 2020 main roster and not put on waivers to be on the practice squad to start the season.
3. Houston Texans News: Keke Coutee can be a secret weapon
The tough thing for Keke Coutee in 2020 is the fact the roster of the Texans when it comes to the wide receiver spot has talented players, and in the slot position, that includes roster battles with veteran Randall Cobb and DeAndre Carter.
Following practice on Thursday, head coach Bill O’Brien said the following when asked about Coutee and his performance (with comments provided by NFL Communications):
"“Keke looked good last night. He was cutting off of his foot and doing some good things. He returned kicks. He played in the slot. He played on the outside. He ran reverses. He did a lot of different things. He looked pretty good.”"
It’s seeming like Keke Coutee is healthy entering the 2020 season. If that stays the same for the wide receiver, and if head coach O’Brien actually means what he says in that Coutee “looked good,” the role of Coutee could vary as not only a slot wide receiver, but as O’Brien mentioned, he could run reverse plays, play on the special teams and just be asked to play many different roles.
If he can play in those various roles, Coutee could be the “secret weapon” the Houston Texans need in 2020.
2. Houston Texans News: Keke Coutee is a talented wide receiver
Seeing some of the performances Keke Coutee had as a rookie in 2018, it is tough to overlook the potential that can be had with the now-third-year wide receiver. In his very first game with the Houston Texans in 2018, Coutee was targeted 15 times for 11 receptions and 109 yards in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts. There was also the aforementioned playoff performance, too.
That same season in Week 10, Coutee had a game of 77 yards receiving on five receptions. In 2019 against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5, Coutee caught three passes for 72 yards . In Week 14 when the Texans faced the Denver Broncos, Coutee caught five passes (on eight targets) for 68 yards.
There have been times where Coutee has shown how talented he is, but like his career has been thus far with the Texans, even this training camp hasn’t seen Coutee get all of the times one might expect on the field, but again, would we expect anything different from the wide receiver and his career entering the 2020 season?
1. Houston Texans News: WRs have had injury issues in recent memory
Keke Coutee has seen his share of injury issues since joining the Houston Texans in 2018, but the same thing can be said about other wide receivers on the Texans’ roster too. Injury issues of Will Fuller throughout his career, and concussion issues of Randall Cobb, make the Texans wide receiver depth chart not the safest when it comes to overall health.
That brings us back to Coutee needing to be on this roster even if in a role of being a reserve in case another speedy wide receiver becomes injured. Coutee is the perfect player to fill in for an injured player for the Texans because he knows the system, and he has a skill set of being a versatile wide receiver who can make a difference when on the field.
The Texans can’t give up on Coutee just yet, as he needs a third year with the franchise and the proper opportunity to show what he can achieve with the team. If the Texans let him go, they will regret that type of decision because of all the injury issues the Texans wide receivers could have. Coutee is the right player to keep on the roster in a reserve role.
Not only that, Keke Coutee should get a chance to play in the slot at times for the Houston Texans in 2020, because he’s yet to completely show what he’s capable of achieving with the franchise, and his role will also be determined by his health issues, too.
All in all, Keke Coutee is a mystery for the Texans in terms if he’ll stay or be asked to go elsewhere, but the potential is there for him. It all comes down to getting the chance in games to show what he’s able to achieve for the Houston Texans in 2020.