HOUSTON -- When
Houston Texansgeneral manager Brian Gaine talked about the signing of free-agent safety
Tashaun Gipson, he mentioned another important player in the secondary:
“We also think his skill set complements
Justin Reidvery well,” Gaine said.
Reid, a third-round pick in 2018, played so well as a rookie that not only do the Texans think he can take a big jump forward and be a leader in the secondary in his second season, but in some ways, they are building the unit around him.
The Texans’ secondary will have a lot of new faces this season after Houston lost defensive backs
Tyrann Mathieuand
Kareem Jacksonin free agency and safety
Andre Halretired in April. Houston signed Gipson, but hopes its replacement for Mathieu's production was already on the roster.
Reid played in all 16 regular-season games during his rookie season, finishing with 88 tackles, three interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Perhaps his most exciting moment as rookie came in the Texans’ Week 11 victory in Washington. On third-and-goal in the second quarter, Reid intercepted
Alex Smith's pass in the end zone and returned it 101 yards for a touchdown.
Reid did all of that while also playing a key role on special teams by running the Texans' punt protection, playing the part of what head coach Bill O’Brien referred to as “the quarterback of the punt team.”
“Most rookies don't play a lot, [but] Justin got a lot of playing time and played at a good level,” O’Brien said. “He really has good command of what we're doing defensively and he has good command of what we're doing on special teams.”
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