There is a free agent who can become a difference maker for the Texans
After having one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season, the Houston Texans went ahead and promoted defensive coordinator Lovie Smith to head coach — a defensive-minded coach — to help bring a young team together and exceed expectations.
The Texans have beefed up their secondary group with the additions of first round selection cornerback Derek Stingley from LSU, second round selection safety Jalen Pitre from Baylor, and former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Steven Nelson in free agency.
These players will make an immediate impact to the 2022 defensive unit, especially Stingley who has shown the ability to become a future All-Pro corner, not to mention Houston still has arguably one of the most underrated safeties in the league of Desmond King.
Houston could also use more versatile and fast cornerbacks who can stop the run and cover well in the pass game, and one guy who could really help is former Cincinnati Bengals and most recently San Francisco 49ers cornerback Darqueze Dennard.
Texans: Darqueze Dennard can be a great slot corner piece to add to team
Dennard was drafted 24th overall in 2014 out of Michigan State. At Michigan State, Dennard was an absolute beast he put up a career stat line of 104 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 13 pass deflections, 10 interceptions, and three forced fumbles.
Dennard flashed signs of high game IQ, speed, and great downhill tackling. The thing to love about Dennard is his ability to go from sideline to cover receivers while also having the speed to read the play quickly and understand where the running back is.
With the Bengals he was an absolute stud he put up 274 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, and 22 pass deflections, and he also forced three fumbles. Since leaving the Bengals in 2020, Dennard has only accumulated 39 tackles and only two tackles for loss, so the question about the veteran cornerback is, Can he be the player he once was?
The belief here is Dennard still has what it takes to be the player he was on the Bengals as he’s only 30 years old and still has time to improve. A one-year contract could help motivate him to become the player he used to be.
What are you thoughts about about Dennard and adding him to the 2022 roster?