Who is the Houston Texans' newest linebacker, Rashad Weaver?

The Houston Texans made a major move this week, when the former third-overall pick out of the 2020 NFL Draft, Jeff Okudah, was placed on the injured reserved list. An unshocking move, as Okudah has often been injured, and when he wasn't hurt, he was nearly unplayable. as a corner. The Texans made that move and also brought back Desmond King, this time to the practice squad.

King of course was a key player in the Texans 2023 season on defense, but failed to make the roster, in part, because of the likes of Okudah and rookie Kamari Lassiter. Sadly, King wasn't signed to the main roster, at least yet, and will instead bide his time for his return to the team. Instead, the Texans signed former fourth-round pick Rashad Weaver.

Weaver, a defensive end/outside linebacker hybrid, was picked in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Tennesee Titans. He did very little his rookie year, but his sophomore year saw him play 16 games, start four, and achieve 5.5 sacks in limited action. He put up a Pro Football Focus grade of 60.6 in his first year of serious action.

His impact and production would drop dramatically in 2023, however. He would play poorly, and while he only played in about a third of the snaps in 2023 as he did in 2022, he made next to no impact when he was on the field. Thus making his snap limitation a wise move. He would fall short of making the Titans team in 2024 and was subsequently released.

The Texans first picked him up and put him on the practice squad, until such a time where he'd be given his shot. Which is now against the Chicago Bears in the upcoming Week 2 showdown. The contest will be on Sunday Night Football and the Texans are hoping for a significant improvement among the team on defense heading into the contest.

It's unlikely Weaver dresses for the game. While a team can have 53 players, only 48 are allowed to dress. Why? Because the NFL is weird. It'll be interesting to see if that logic though pans out. While he is just joining the main roster and the need to improve isn't at the defensive end (or even linebacker), it's in the secondary, there is still a chance that Weaver does make the final 48.

If he does, he'll be asked to make an immediate impact, especially if star defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. are suspiciously absent for a second week in a row.