Could the Houston Texans cornerbacks be the bright spot of the defense?

As we move into a more friendly article, we’ll discuss the Houston Texans cornerback position. Their secondary also went through a minor rebuild after letting Steven Nelson hit free agency in the off-season. In free agency they didn’t view the position as highly regarded as some thought they might, with their only notable signings being Jeff Okudah and CJ Henderson, both failing in their previous stints. In the draft, however, they went all out by drafting the Georgia product Kamari Lassiter. With slot corners Desmond King and Derek Stingley already starting in the secondary, landing multiple big-time corners wasn’t a need, making it an efficient allocation of their resources. 

Depth chart (10)

CJ Henderson
Derek Stingley Jr
Desmond King (slot)
D’Angelo Ross (slot)
Jeff Okudah
Kris Boyd
Kamari Lassiter
Mike Ford
Troy Pride
Myles Bryant (slot)

The Texans are definitely going the way of youth this year, as Henderson, Stingley, Okudah, Lassiter, and Bryant are all under 26 years old. Houston’s most notable losses at cornerback ended up being Shaq Griffin (Minnesota Vikings) and Steven Nelson (unsigned), and if he isn’t signed yet, I wouldn’t expect Nelson back. They seem to have found their corners this year, and adding Steven Nelson to this secondary won’t help him or the team as they try and go the youth route. 

Realistically, the Texans could end up keeping six corners (four outside, two slot) on the active roster with the amount of depth players they acquired throughout the off-season. Lonnie Johnson Jr, back here for his second stint, has safety/cornerback flexibility, making him an option as the backup safety/emergency cornerback in tough situations. All in all, the Houston Texans cornerback room is set up to have a lot of success in 2024, and it’s led by the young presence of Derek Stingley Jr and Kamari Lassiter. 

However this season goes, good or bad, one thing is for certain. This secondary, mainly the corners, is going to have a lot of success as they fight for a title in a tough AFC. If they can get production from some of their backups like Henderson, that position group won’t have any concerns from the team, the fanbase, or the media.