One day after the Houston Texans got themselves a shiny new running back in Eno Benjamin, they went out and added a talented – if struggling – wide receiver in Amari Rodgers. In doing so, an offense that has struggled mightily this season has been revamped quite a bit in a short period.
That doesn’t mean that the 1-7-1 Houston Texans are going to be contending for a playoff spot all of a sudden, but the recent signings show that General Manager Nick Caserio seems to understand where the biggest problems lie with the team and is willing to address them on the fly.
Amari Rodgers was released by the Green Bay Packers just yesterday and there should be no confusion over why. The receiver and punt returner has had a heck of a time hanging onto the ball. He has five fumbles in 10 games this year. Considering that the Pack is trying to get back into the playoff race, it’s clear the team felt it needed to move on from the former 3rd round pick.
It turns out the situation is quite perfect for the Houston Texans, who are now unofficially in “planning for the future” mode. Assuming that Lovie Smith’s job isn’t on the line – and it shouldn’t be this year – then the first-year head coach can take a few more risks on players like the newly signed pass catcher.
Texans now have added WR Amari Rodgers and RB Eno Benjamin on back-to-back days. https://t.co/KHuzGqCdxS
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 16, 2022
Amari Rodgers has actually seen more time as a returner than a wide receiver in his first two years in the league. He’s logged four receptions in 2021 and 2022 each but has returned 40 punts and 17 kickoffs over the same time period.
So far, he hasn’t shown the electricity that served him so well at Clemson, but he’s still got room to grow and will now be the Houston Texans’ pet project as they try and find a way to soup up an offensive attack that has been more than a little lacking outside of Dameon Pierce.
They also have some time to get him right, as his contract runs through 2024. It is of course possible that Amari Rodgers won’t be a long-term piece for the Houston Texans, but they’ll be able to give him a real look.