2022 NFL Free Agency: The Texans Should Sign DeShon Elliott

One free agent the Houston Texans should take a serious look at is former Baltimore Ravens safety DeShon Elliott. Elliott was selected in the sixth-round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He is a Dallas native and played college football at the University of Texas.

The Texans are in serious need of safety help, especially after the departure of fan favorite Justin Reid. Elliott is a young, hard-hitting, aggressive player that has a ton of versatility. He has played most of his snaps at free safety but was moved all around the Baltimore defense, playing in the box and even the slot. Elliott could significantly help Houston in run support and pressure on the quarterback as well.

Talent hasn’t been the problem for Elliott throughout his NFL career. The problem has been his ability to stay healthy and be on the field for 17 games. In 2019, Elliott was only on the field for 6 games, playing a total of 40 snaps. In 2020, however, Elliott followed that disappointing year up with playing all 16 games, logging 1,149 total snaps. Things were trending in the right direction, but Elliott followed up that productive 2020 campaign by playing only 6 games due to injury in 2021.

DeShon Elliott is only 24 years old. If healthy, he could be a major addition to a Texans defense that had its moments in 2021 but remains a few pieces away from being truly consistent. He’d be a low risk signing with high upside potential. Elliott is exactly the kind of player Nick Caserio should be targeting at this point in the franchise’s rebuild.