It is the right time for the Houston Texans to see what they have in rookie Isaiah Coulter.
This has been an interesting bye week to say the least for the Houston Texans, and one move for which there should be excitement is rookie wide receiver Isaiah Coulter has been activated from the reserved/injured list.
With the Houston Texans being 1-6 overall, when they return from the bye week and play in their Week 9 game on the road at Jacksonville, it would be interesting to see Coulter involved with either the offense to a certain degree, or if nothing else, let him try out special teams to see what he can accomplish at the professional level.
Coulter was the final selection made by the Houston Texans in the 2020 NFL Draft, as he was the 171st overall selection, a fifth-round pick. Being he’s 6’3” and 190 pounds, there were a lot of pros and cons about him coming out of the collegiate level from Rhode Island.
During the draft process, The Draft Network had this pro to say about Coulter:
"“Can climb the ladder and go get it. Does well to extend his catch radius vertically. Hands and ball skills appear natural with the ability to track and pluck the football outside of his frame.”"
There was also this con about Coulter as well from The Draft Network, as they provide a solid draft analysis of many draft picks each season:
"“Has a big transition to the NFL. So many of his contested grabs will be far more heavily challenged at the next level. Can be too patient and needs to ‘go get it.’”"
The Houston #Texans activated WR Isaiah Coulter from the Reserve/Injured list and placed G/T Max Scharping on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. pic.twitter.com/Slb832ZhBP
— Houston Texans PR (@TexansPR) October 28, 2020
Coulter most likely won’t set the NFL on fire his very first games, but why not give the rookie an opportunity in the game at some point this season, whether it be in Week 9 at Jacksonville, or later in the season once the trade deadline passes and potential changes are made to the roster.
In terms of the depth chart, maybe Coulter is already ahead of Keke Coutee, who is hardly ever active on game day, and why not see what Coulter can do in the role played by DeAndre Carter, as his numbers or playing time don’t jump off the stat sheet, either.
Even Kenny Stills is being undervalued this season, with his numbers in seven games being 10 receptions on 18 targets for 138 yards and one touchdown. DeAndre Carter has one reception (two targets) in seven games for eight yards and no touchdowns. Carter has 10 punt returns this season for 87 yards and 11 kickoff returns for 230 yards.
Houston Texans: Isaiah Coulter during his time at Rhode Island
During his final season at Rhode Island, Isaiah Coulter played in 12 games and made 11 starts, and he totaled 1,039 yards with 72 receptions, which led to eight touchdowns. Against one of his bigger opponents, when Rhode Island faced Virginia Tech in 2019, he collected nine receptions for 152 yards.
In three seasons at RI, Coulter totaled 34 games played for 132 receptions that led to 1,855 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns. Of course, we can’t compare his numbers against Virginia Tech to what he can or can’t do in the NFL, but overall it is worth the time and effort of seeing what this fifth-round pick can achieve as a professional.
Unless a few injuries occur, don’t expect to see Coulter in the starting lineup anytime soon, but it would be worthwhile for interim head coach Romeo Crennel and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly to put the rookie out on the field in various situations for, if nothing else, evaluation purposes for next season.
The start of Coulter’s career will be interesting to see unfold, but let’s just hope he gets the proper amount of playing time to see what he can accomplish against the best of the best. Who knows? Maybe Coulter is a “diamond in the rough,” and he can really help the Houston Texans moving forward.