The upstart Houston Texans have already added five potential new starters to their defense for head coach DeMeco Ryans this offseason.
That includes signing Pro Bowl EDGE rusher Danielle Hunter to a huge contract in NFL free agency. While the other moves were more under the radar, Houston did add a former Detroit Lions top-three pick in that of cornerback Jeff Okudah.
It does not appear that general manager Nick Caserio is done there.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Houston has doubled down on the cornerback position with former Jacksonville Jaguars first-round bust C.J. Henderson.
Henderson, 25, is an interesting addition. He’s still young. However, the former Florida star has not panned out in stops with the aforementioned Jaguars and Carolina Panthers during his four-year career. It sure looks like Ryans is taking on some reclamation projects as we hit the third and four waves of free agency.
Related: Did the Houston Texans do the best in NFL free agency?
Houston Texans lining their defense with former first-round picks
Henderson has appeared in 49 games with 32 starts over the course of four seasons. This past season saw the young corner play in 12 games (seven starts). He yielded a 73% completion and 106.8 QB rating when targeted. Hence, our reference of reclamation projects.
What we do know is that Houston now has five former first-round picks on the defensive side of the ball.
- Will Anderson Jr., EDGE
- Derek Barnett, EDGE
- Derek Stinely Jr., cornerback
- Jeff Okudah, cornerback
- C.J. Henderson, cornerback
Of those five, four were top-10 selections. The goal here is for Ryans to work his magic.