The Houston Texans extended a qualifying offer to linebacker and special teams standout Dylan Cole on Thursday. Last year, Cole was voted team captain, along with J.J. Watt, Deshaun Watson and Johnathan Joseph, for the 2019 season.
The former undrafted player out of Missouri State has seen action in 31 games, recording 46 tackles (including 29 solo), five tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, two quarterback hits, two interceptions, seven passes defensed and one fumble recovery during his three seasons with the Texans.
Here are some of Cole's top moments as a Texan:
1 Cole's most iconic moment has to be his pick-six against the Tennessee Titans in 2017. Cole intercepted Matt Cassel's pass, intended for tight end Delanie Walke,r and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. Cole also finished with a team-high five tackles, 1.0 sack, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit and one pass defensed. He became the first rookie in Texans history to record an interception and return it for a touchdown.
2 Game-ending fumble recovery in London
In Week 9 of the 2019 season, the Texans defense ended the Jaguars' final four offensive drives with a takeaway. On the final play of the game, Cole scooped his first career fumble recovery that resulted when Brennan Scarlett sacked Jacksonville quarterback Gardner Minshew. Cole added a 27-yard return to the Houston 48-yard line and the Texans left Wembley Stadium with a 26-3 win over their division rival.
3 First primetime game, first career tackles at Cincinnati
Cole didn't have to wait long for his first NFL game with significant playing time at inside linebacker. In Week 2 at Cincinnati, the rookie notched his first three career tackles in the Thursday night win over the Bengals. In Watson's first career NFL start, Cole and the defense held the Bengals to just three field goals in the 13-9 win.
4 Interception against the Browns
Cole nabbed his second career interception just two weeks after his first pick. In Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, Cole intercepted Kevin Hogan's pass in the second quarter and returned it three yards to the Houston 25-yard line. He also recorded a tackle for loss in the Texans' 33-17 win over the Browns.
