No positional unit was spared on the Texans roster as it pertained to making changes. It was perhaps the secondary that underwent the most significant change as the Texans drafted two secondary players in rounds two and three and added five free agents. In total, there are ten players that weren't on the Texans 70-man roster/practice squad to start last season. So, how well will the new blood adapt and provide dividends? GREAT question, but there is no question that the secondary has one of the best CBs in the league in Derek Stingley Jr. That, my friends, is a wonderful starting point for this revamped unit.
Training camp is now just hours away so let's get into our analysis of this remade secondary in Houston. Let's GO!
Secondary (numerical order)
CB/ST 4 Mike Ford
7th year - 1st in Houston
2024 FA signing
2023 Stats (CLE) - 16 games, 28 tackles, one INT, two passes defensed, one FR
There's little question that Ford is one of the better special teams players in the NFL but he's been around the block a bit as a defensive back too in this league. He's bigger than I anticipated when we met him for the first time back in the spring. I love that he moved to Houston a few years ago and that made it that much easier to become a Houston Texan as he did in 2024. He'll get a ton of opportunities at CB in the preseason but he'll star for sure on special teams.
S 5 Jalen Pitre
3rd year in Houston
2022 2nd round selection
2023 Stats - 15 games, 84 tackles, one FF, 2.0 QB hits, 6.0 TFL, five passes defensed
Over the past four or five weeks of the 2023 season, Pitre played some of his best football of the season. He's such an asset to this team, and this defense, going forward and was a captain in just his second season. He has such heart and spirit and is the right player in the back end for this defense. However, he has to continue to play with his hair on fire, yet under control so he's making more plays for this defense in 2024. There were plays that Pitre would love to have back or have the opportunity for a do-over to make said plays. If he makes those big, impactful plays in 2024, this defense will go to a different level.
CB 11 Jeff Okudah
5th year - 1st in Houston
2024 FA signing
2032 Stats (ATL) - 13 games, 44 tackles, 1.0 TFL, one passes defensed
The former #3 overall pick in the 2020 Draft hasn't found his level yet in the league as he dealt with injuries early in his career. But, Okudah is blessed with length and speed that other defensive backs just don't possess. He must flash those assets which will allow him to be the cover corner many anticipated he'd be in this league. During the last week of minicamp, Okudah was as good as I could remember seeing him, breaking up numerous passes during the practice session. As such, Okudah and C.J. Henderson are two guys to watch as the Texans build the depth and quality of the cornerback position; those two were top ten picks in the 2020 draft, so there's value within each player. Now is the time to find IT and put IT to good use in this defense.
CB 14 Kamari Lassiter
Rookie
2024 2nd round selection
2023 Stats (Georgia) - 14 games, 37 tackles, eight PBU, 3.5 TFL, ½ sack
Here is my scouting report from draft season on Lassiter
Smooth, fluid and fast. Lassiter stepped into a starting role in 2022 and was arguably one of the best CBs in the SEC and the nation in his first year as a starter. He's sudden out of his breaks. He's not built like a Greek god, but he's wiry and strong…enough. Tremendous hips and elite turn-and-go capabilities. His change of direction 3-cone time at the Combine was a sterling 6.62, my goodness.
Lassiter strikes me as a guy that can play zone and man equally well. He's smart and reads well and was coached well in that Georgia secondary for years. So, he can play zone effectively and he has outstanding match and mirror skills to play man coverage, especially in press. I love his ball skills down the field.
He has excellent transitional quickness. He breaks on short stuff in a blink.
During OTA/minicamp practice, he was as good as I advertised above and was as competitive as I've seen a rookie DB be with the ball in the air. He was the feisty man coverage corner that I hoped would emerge in Houston. He matched routes all over the field and against everybody. He came up with a few picks in practice and a few breakups as well.
CB 17 Kris Boyd
6th year - 2nd in Houston
2023 FA signing
2023 Stats (AZ & HOU) - six games, two tackles
The former Longhorns defensive back was key on special teams late in the 2023 season after being claimed on waivers. He stayed with the Texans in the offseason so we'll get a better look at Boyd with more defensive back snaps this preseason. He's one heck of an athlete with length and size, so he's an intriguing roster candidate, especially given his special teams acumen.
S 20 Jimmie Ward
11th year - 2nd in Houston
2023 FA signing
2023 Stats - 10 games, 50 tackles, one INT, three passes defensed, one FF
- 20th on the active list with two career pick sixes
Man, when Ward was healthy and on the field in 2023, he was a major asset to the defense. In fact, when he was on the field, this defense had some of its best performances. He sealed the game against the Broncos with an interception in the end zone. He's a leader. He's tough. He's fearless in run support. When he was on the field, it was clear that this defense played with a different attitude and swagger, for lack of a better word. I love having him on the field because he makes life tough on opposing receivers. I just hope that he can be fully healthy heading into the 2024 season, his 11th in the league.
CB 21 C.J. Henderson
5th year - 1st in Houston
2024 FA signing
2023 Stats (CAR) - 12 games, 39 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, one QB hit, two passes defensed
Like Okudah, Henderson was a former first round pick that really hadn't found a comfortable landing spot in the league after four years. But, you want to talk about assets? Henderson has assets/traits for days and it's that athleticism and upside that the Texans are betting on this summer. During OTA/minicamp, Henderson showed some flashes of the guy that many thought he'd be in the league when he was drafted, but can he make those key plays in training camp and preseason games, playing at a high level, to push for a roster spot and playing time? That's what the Texans have to find out in short order.
S 23 Eric Murray
9th year - 5th in Houston
2020 FA signing, 2023 re-signing, 2024 re-signing
2023 Stats - six games, 13 tackles, one FF
One of the longest tenured Texans was sorely missed after he was injured early in the 2023 season. Prior to that injury, he stepped in at safety, in place of injured Jimmie Ward and Jalen Pitre, and was a rock solid contributor. When he was signed in Houston in 2020, there were such high expectations and though people just didn't want to hear it, Murray has been valuable to this defense. He remains valuable to this defense, for sure, as he can play either of the safety spots and contribute a ton on special teams.
CB 24 Derek Stingley Jr
3rd year in Houston
2022 1st round selection
2023 Stats - 11 games, 39 tackles, five INT, 13 passes defensed, 1.0 TFL
- Tied for 4th in the NFL in 2023 with five interceptions
- 2nd in the NFL in 2023 with 0.45 INT/game, only Daron Bland (DAL) had higher rate
- Had five picks in nine games played.
Honors
1x AFC Defensive Player of the Week - 2023
1x AFC Defensive Player of the Month - 2023
In this very article last year, I wrote…
"When he's right and healthy, there's no more talented cover corner than the youngster from LSU. Now, he's only played 19 games in three seasons, so there's still some raw spots to work through, but his god given ability and competitiveness stand out every single day. I can't wait to see him in year two."
I feel really, REALLY good about those words following the season that the Pro Bowl alternate had in 2024. However, 2023 didn't start off well as a hamstring injury created issues for the defense starting in week three. But, Sting returned for the Cincinnati game in week 9 and didn't look back. He had interceptions in the next three games, one of which is perhaps the most athletic defensive play of this season and many others. Former Broncos QB Russell Wilson will never forget seeing his big WR Courtland Sutton down the seam, seemingly wide open, only to have Stingley Jr close in, leap up over Sutton and steal it away. My goodness. The sky's the limit for the soon-to-be third year STAR.
Nickel 25 Desmond King II
8th year - 4th in Houston
2021 FA signing, 2023 re-signing, 2024 re-signing
2023 Stats (PIT & HOU) - ten games, 47 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, two passes defensed
Honors
1x 1st Team All-Pro - 2018
What a season it was for King II in Houston in 2023. He was waived after training camp and actually played against the Texans in week four as a member of the Steelers. Then, he returned to Houston when the Texans had injury issues in the secondary. He made one of the defensive stops of the season against Jacksonville in week 12 on the one defensive play he played. He then started the next week and didn't look back. He was outstanding in the nickel role for the rest of the season, making tackles and plays all over the field. He had a couple of huge plays taken away from him too, like the early blown whistle against Denver that negated a triple play (FF, FR and scoop and score). Either way, he embraced the nickel role in Houston last year and was a key figure in the Texans' run to the playoffs.
CB 27 Troy Pride
5th year - 2nd in Houston
2023 FA signing
2023 Stats (LV) - one game
The Texans brought in Pride late in the 2023 season with designs on signing him to a futures contract. He's built like a cover corner and runs like one too (4.4 at the Combine in 2020). With a full offseason of work and time with the coaching staff, it'll be interesting what Pride is able to show this staff during training camp and beyond.
S 29 M.J. Stewart
7th year - 3rd in Houston
2022 FA signing, 2024 re-signing
2023 Stats - eight games, 22 tackles, one FR, one FF
With Ward on the mend through the beginning of the season, Stewart stepped in to play a ton of meaningful snaps before he, unfortunately, was lost for the season with an injury in the win over Tampa Bay. The veteran's leadership and versatility are key for this Texans defense and special teams in 2024. Having Stewart on this defense is a comforting feeling that was missed when he went out with that injury last season.
Nickel 30 Myles Bryant
5th year - 1st in Houston
2024 FA signing
2023 Stats (NE) - 17 games, 77 tackles, one INT, two FF, 1.0 sack, 7.0 TFL, one QB hit
Perhaps the sneakiest hot move of the offseason was signing Bryant after a highly productive career in New England. Now, when you see him, you may not know that he's a player on this squad. But, he is and he could be one of your favorites in due time. He's as smart a player as there is on the field and there's so much the defense can do with Bryant on the field. He's height challenged, but that's about the only knock on Bryant who has been a star at the nickel position since his days at Washington. He had a walk-on's mentality and a pro's overall skill set, but he's just 5-8. His lack of size doesn't bother me in the slightest, but he's often overlooked as a result.
S 32 Lonnie Johnson
6th year - 4th in Houston
2024 FA signing
2023 Stats (NO) - 12 games, nine tackles, one INT, one FR, two passes passes defensed
Lotto is BACK! There have been a few boomerangs over the years and even one in this Texans secondary (Desmond King II). Johnson returns for his sixth year, which is amazing to think about in some sense. Lonnie has found his way picking off passes and running down on all special teams' units the past few years. He's going to have to do those two things as well as he's ever done them to make this 53-man roster. But, he's got that proverbial club in his bag, so I expect Lonnie to fight to make this team in training camp.
S 36 Brandon Hill
2nd year in Houston
2023 7th round selection
2023 Stats - two games
Hill was selected in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft and was ready to make an impact on this team at the start of last year's training camp. But, he suffered an injury that kept him off the field for a significantly long period in August/September and that really hijacked his rookie season. He was able to get the call up for two games of special teams work but the injury just eliminated any real progress he could've made in 2023. But, it's 2024 and he's back healthy and ready. He's a hammerhead hitter and plays with a Floridian's confidence (IYKYK). I just want to see him healthy to see what he can do at this level.
CB 37 D'Angelo Ross
4th year - 3rd year
2022 FA signing
2023 Stats - 13 games, eight tackles
The Texans re-signed Ross early in 2024 to return to the defense and special teams units. He's provided great play on special teams throughout his stint in Houston and would love an opportunity to show what he can do on defense in 2024 and beyond. He should get that chance during 2024 training camp but he'll start on the PUP list at the beginning of camp.
S 41 Calen Bullock
Rookie
2024 3rd round selection
2023 Stats (USC) - 12 games, 63 tackles, two INT, seven PBU
Here's a snippet from my scouting report on Bullock
"(He) plays the game with absolutely no fear. He will come up and introduce himself to a ball carrier in a different colored jersey.
He can FLY, now. His transitional quickness is outstanding and his range in the middle of the field is top notch amongst the safety group"
But, the one part of his game that must improve in 2024 and beyond is his open field tackling. He has no fear, none, but he has to clean up his tackling skill to be a top notch safety in the future. He'll go get the football in the air, but there have been some big plays given up as a result of his poor tackling technique. Once he improves that aspect, Bullock will shine consistently.
