The Phillip Lindsay addition to the Texans is a move that's really excited a former Texan.
Nick Ferguson played safety in the NFL from 2000 to 2009, with the final two seasons in Houston. He spent the bulk of his career with the Broncos, did a coaching internship with them after his playing days, and has co-hosted a sports talk show on the radio in Denver the last few years. Ferguson's seen every game of Lindsay's since 2018, and he thinks the Texans are fortunate to have the fourth-year back.
"I think it's great," Ferguson said. "He was under-utilized as far as his talent."
As an undrafted rookie out of Colorado in 2018, Lindsay was good for 5.4 yards per carry, ran for nine touchdowns, and finished with 1,037 yards on the ground. He followed that up with 1,011 yards in 2019, before injuries limited him to just 11 contests in 2020. As good as Lindsay was on the ground, Ferguson thinks the former Bronco is a viable threat to catch the ball out of the backfield.
"Here in Denver, there was a lot of criticism of Phil saying he can't catch the ball that well," Ferguson said. "Well, you can't catch the ball if they don't throw it to you. It's just pure mathematics: the more touches you receive, the better you get. Once you get him outside and you dump the ball off to him in the screen, he's capable of making something explosive happen."
For his career, Lindsay's been targeted 2.6 times per game. He's averaged 6.0 yards per catch in that span. Ferguson thinks the number should go up based on what he's seen from Lindsay.
The Texans begin training camp next week at the Houston Methodist Training Center. Their first preseason game is Saturday, August 14 at Green Bay.
