A.J. Bouye's had quite a May and June.

The fourth-year cornerback pounced on the chance to get more reps while Johnathan Joseph, Kevin Johnson and Charles James have been out with injuries.

"He has had a lot of opportunities this spring," head coach Bill O'Brien said. "A.J. has gotten a ton of reps. He's taking advantage of them."

Bouye's shown an ability to make plays during OTAs, and during Tuesday's minicamp he picked off a pass and returned it for what would have been a score.

"He's a guy that's playing with a lot of confidence and I think he's really taking advantage of his reps," O'Brien said. "He has gotten better in man-to-man coverage. He has gotten better at his overall technique. He has worked very hard. He has definitely improved."

Pro Bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who's lined up across from the former Central Florida Knight, has noticed an improvement from Bouye as well.

"A.J. is doing an excellent job out there," Hopkins said. "He's out there proving himself that he's worth

being out there with the ones."

Defensive end J.J. Watt, who sprinted the length of the field yesterday with Bouye on the interception return, heaped praise on the defensive back.

"He's had an unbelievable spring so far," Watt said. "He's a guy that's always trying to learn, he's always trying to get better. I think his confidence right now is through the roof, as it should be with the way he's playing. I think the more he can build on that confidence the better he's going to be."

Bouye, Watt and the Texans continue with minicamp on Wednesday and Thursday at the Houston Methodist Training Center. 

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