Houston Texans News & Rumors

The Texans are in line to have additional cornerback depth for their late-December games and likely the playoffs.

They are activating Kayvon Webster from IR, Mark Berman of Fox 26 reports (on Twitter). Webster returned to practice last week and may well be in uniform Sunday.

A strained quad sent Webster to IR. He has not played since Week 5, his only game as a Texan thus far. The Texans added Webster as a free agent in late August. The Rams cut ties with the former third-round pick earlier in the offseason.

Webster started 11 games for the 2017 Rams but saw a ruptured Achilles’ tendon end his season in November of last season. The quad injury Webster suffered this season may have sidelined him, but he’s further removed from the Achilles setback and may be able to help the Texans as a depth piece.

The former four-year Broncos cog signed a one-year, $2.25MM contract with the Texans this season. That is well below the value of his 2017 Rams pact, and Webster’s latest contract year has obviously not gone well. He will have a chance to make an impression for the Texans, however.

This move also means the Texans cannot bring Kevin Johnson off IR, with the team having used both of its slots already. The Texans brought back linebacker Dylan Cole from IR earlier this season. Johnson has been out since September with what has turned out to be a severe concussion. Houston has Johnathan Joseph and Shareece Wright serving as its starting cornerbacks.

The Texans have designated cornerback Kayvon Webster to return from injured reserve, the club announced today.

Webster was placed on IR in early October after suffering his a strained quad. Because he’s already missed eight weeks of action, Webster is eligible to return to the active roster at any time. Now that Webster has returned to practice, Houston has opened a three-week window during which it must either place him on its 53-man roster, or leave him on injured reserve for the rest of the season.

After inking a one-year, $2.25MM deal with the Texans in August, Webster missed the first four games of the year while recovering from an Achilles tear he suffered while with the Rams in 2017. Webster managed to play in only a single contest before going down with injury once again.

Despite his injury history, there’s reason to think Webster can contribute to the Texans’ defense down the stretch. Although Pro Football Focus ranked Webster in the bottom half of its cornerback grades last year, Webster finished 31st among 81 CBs in Football Outsiders’ success rate, meaning he was effective at stopping wide receivers short of the sticks. FO also charted Webster with allowing 6.8 yard per pass, 38th among cornerbacks.

Houston’s defense is one of the best in the league, but the club is better against the run (second in DVOA) than the pass (16th). As such, Webster could potentially see snaps alongside Aaron Colvin, Johnathan Joseph, and Kareem Jackson if he’s able to return.