The Houston Texans will sign Aaron Colvin to help bolster the secondary. Initial reports indicate the former Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback will sign a four-year deal in Houston when the free agent contract period officially opens on Wednesday.
What are the Texans getting?
The basic nuts and bolts…
Colvin was originally a fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma in 2014, he’s spent his entire career in Jacksonville. He’s a 26-year-old Tulsa native who almost certainly would have been drafted higher if not for tearing an ACL during Senior Bowl practices, an injury which unfortunately happened about 10 yards from where I was standing at the time. His cleat stuck in the turf.
That injury cost him most of his rookie season, but he rebounded nicely in his second year in Jacksonville. He played in all 16 games, starting 15, and recorded 60 solo tackles, 7 PDs and 4 sacks while playing primarily on the right side.
His 2016 did not go so well. Colvin was suspended four games for a PED violation, a move which cost him his starting gig. He didn’t play so well upon his return before breaking his ankle and going on IR.
Colvin kicked inside fulltime in 2017, thanks to the arrival of former Texan A.J. Bouye. He played well as the third CB inside Bouye and Jalen Ramsey, earning a Pro Football Focus grade of 80.0. That’s higher than any Texans corner scored in 2017.
At minimum, he’s been very good at preventing touchdowns and giving up the catastrophic play.
Some of that is due to his solid tackling. He’s a hair under 6 feet tall and last listed at 193 pounds, but he plays bigger than his size as a tackler. Colvin played some strong safety at Oklahoma but proved more valuable on the outside.
He’s one of those cover corner who is better before the ball is in the air, using his frame and smart to anticipate routes and disrupt timing. Even at Oklahoma he didn’t show good ball skills, and Colvin has yet to catch his first NFL interception.
Because of his length and his experience on the outside, the Texans might envision him taking over for Johnathan Joseph (still unsigned by anyone) and keeping Kareem Jackson in the slot.
However, he performed capably in the slot as well. That means options. Signing Colvin does not mean the Texans are out of the cornerback market in free agency or the draft, not by a longshot.
