Texans: One Free Agent Cornerback To Consider for 2022 Season

The Houston Texans have made some improvements on defense this offseason, but there is more work to be done in the secondary.

Thinking about the upcoming 2022 Houston Texans training camp, preseason and regular season there is some excitement that is on the horizon, as the Texans with their current roster might be better than one might believe.

Then again, this roster isn’t built up good enough to be the best in the AFC South just quite yet. Being in the tough AFC, Houston needs more fine tuning on their roster, and the younger players need more in-game action for this franchise to be contenders for the division title, and to eventually make some noise in the playoffs.

Until those days come, Houston general manager Nick Caserio must keep adding players who can help the younger players on the roster better, while also helping the team add more wins than the team achieved the past two seasons which has been eight total wins.

The front office already has made some improvements to the secondary with the addition of cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and safety Jalen Pitre in the second round of the same draft.

That said, plus having other cornerbacks like Steven Nelson, Fabian Moreau, Isaac Yiadom, Tremon Smith, Kendall Sheffield, Tristin McCollum, Tavierre Thomas, Desmond King II, and Jacobi Francis already on the depth chart, battles will already be fierce, but they could be even more competitive.

That said, if this team wants to be champions one day, the more involved in the battle of the cornerbacks, the better, right? This is where free agent cornerback and former Green Bay Packers player Kevin King comes into the conversation.

Texans: Cornerback competition can never have enough players in the battle

The Texans could really use a player like King with Lovie Smith as his head coach and defensive coordinator. King has a vast amount of experience, while also playing for a successful franchise like the Packers the past five seasons.

Since 2017, King has seven interceptions in 51 regular season games (41 starts) with 30 career passes defensed and two forced fumbles.

That was some positive on King, including a 2019 season where he collected five interceptions and 15 passes defensed, as that seems like his top season to date in the NFL.

Now the part that hurts is he’s played in just 21 games the past two seasons (17 starts) and they have been two of his not so greatest seasons. In ’21 King was challenged 28 times by the opposing quarterback, and he allowed 20 receptions for 258 yards and two touchdowns, for a completion percentage of 71.4 percent in 10 games, which is the worst of his career.

His ’20 season wasn’t that much better, allowing 36 receptions on 56 attempts (63-percent) so this would be a great chance to see if King could get back on track with a one-year deal.

The Texans have given a few players one-year “prove it” contracts, and if King can work with some of the younger players, and rebuild his career for a season in Houston, at an acceptable deal, why not give the five-year veteran a short-term contract?

Houston needs all of the experience they can get in their secondary to work with the two rookies, because Stingley and Pitre will be solid players, but in year one it would be great to have a backup plan like King to help with the secondary.

King could stay healthier with less snaps in ’22, as he wouldn’t need to be the top guy on the roster. Plus, his overall experience would have help the Texans’ defense throughout the season.

This potential signing is about two things, helping King find his past success once again, and in doing so he’ll teach the younger corners a thing or two about the NFL, which improves the defense for years to come. It could be a win-win situation for both the Texans and King if a deal were to be made.

What are you thoughts on the current cornerback depth chart of the Texans? Do you think King could help the franchise in anyway for 2022?