Houston Texans: Rookie DB could see first NFL action against Commanders

When the Houston Texans take the field against the Washington Commanders, there’s going to be plenty to keep an eye on. It turns out that one more thing to keep an eye on will be whether one of the team’s rookie defensive backs gets his first NFL snaps.

Jacobi Francis, an undrafted rookie free agent out of Memphis has spent most of this season toiling on the Texans’ practice squad. However, on Saturday, the team announced he was being “called up” and brought onto the official roster in a flurry of moves that also saw third-year defensive back Will Redmond get called up.

The Houston Texans called the two DBs up from the practice squad while also activating Michael Dwumfour from the IR. That means that Nick Caserio finished the week off by not only reshaping the offensive roster a bit, but by changing up the defensive look, at least as far as depth goes.

There is of course, no guarantee that Francis is going to be playing a ton of meaningful snaps. However, with starting defensive back Derek Stingley Jr. ruled of the contest against Washington, there’s a chance that another rookie could get a look.

Houston Texans Rookie Gets First Look

The former Memphis Tiger had himself quite a career at the AAC school. Thanks to the 2020 COVID season, he got five years of action on the field and was a starter for the last four.

Over the course of his college career, Francis amassed 130 tackles and six interceptions, though his senior year was inarguably his best season.

In 2021, the Houston Texans rookie had 36 total tackles and had four tackles for loss. He also equaled a career-high in interceptions in a season with two, and he had seven passes defended. He signed a free-agent deal with the Texans back in May and has been working his way to this day ever since.

Now Jacobi Francis will get the chance to show the Houston Texans he deserves to be on the roster to stay.