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The bright spot of the Texans 2018 NFL Draft, Justin Reid, began training camp on the non-football injury list after undergoing surgery to repair a wrist injury he suffered in a car accident in June.
Yesterday, Reid was activated off the list and should be clear to go at practice today.
After Houston picked him in the third round of last year’s draft, Reid wasted no time breaking into the starting lineup. He participated in all 16 regular season games as a rookie, starting 12, contributed three interceptions (including one that was returned for a touchdown after an amazing 101 yard return - and if you quibble, he was actually two yards deep in the end zone when he picked it), forced one fumble, and added 88 combined tackles. Best of all, Reid has a lot more upside as he gets ready for his second NFL season.
Justin Reid
I’m confident with my wrist, but we’re just going to be very precautious, take our time with it, not rush anything, make sure I get to the season as healthy as possible.
We’ve really just been diving in on the mental side of the game more, handling myself physically. My big focus for the offseason was really my legs because I want to be even more explosive out of my breaks in order to cover that half yard.
Reid, alongside newly acquired free agent safety Tashaun Gipson, should become a national name this season if his evolution continues. Now Houston just needs to dial in the cornerback position to really lock down the secondary.
Speaking of locking down, the Texans gave long time cornerback Johnathan Joseph a great ‘attaboy’ in the form of a raise:
The Texans gave CB Johnathan Joseph a raise, per source. He got a $1.5M signing bonus, his base salary increased from $2.9M to $4M, while his per game roster bonuses reduced from $1M total to $500K total. Rewarding a veteran player.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) July 30, 2019
Joseph, signed away from the Cincinnati Bengals eight years ago, he’s more than rewarded Houston for their investment. Joseph has played in 119 games for Houston, fielded 16 interceptions, forced five fumbles, had 431 combined tackles, and scored four touchdowns.
While many believe J-Jo has lost a step, if the Texans have a cornerback equivalent to former wideout turned coach Andre Johnson, it’s Joseph.
Most remarkable about this pay bump is this might be the first legit movement by Houston’s new “flat” front office structure...signing punters and rookies notwithstanding.
What do you think of this move? Happy Houston is taking care of their own or wish they’d have gone a different direction?