Texans interim HC Romeo Crennel is making a statement. As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports, cornerback Bradley Roby did not travel to Jacksonville for this week’s game against the Jaguars and was told to remain home for disciplinary reasons.

It’s unclear what those reasons are, but whatever Roby did to displease the team, he may have done it in the past 48 hours or so. On Friday, Crennel told reporters that Roby — who left the team’s Week 7 loss to the Packers with a knee injury — was expected to play.

Roby joined the Texans on a one-year, $10MM deal in 2019, and he re-signed on a three-year, $36MM contract just before free agency opened this past offseason. He is the club’s top corner and has recorded Houston’s only interception this season.

Although it’s far too early to speculate on how this might impact Roby’s future with the team, it’s worth noting that his deal features $19MM in guarantees, most of which have not yet been paid out. Depending on the language in Roby’s deal, the Texans could theoretically void the remaining guarantees.

As of now, there’s no indication that Houston will go that route. Although the club is just 1-6 this year and looks to be embarking on a rebuild, solid, reasonably-priced corners are difficult to find.

Pro Football Focus doesn’t think much of Roby’s support in run defense this year, but PFF does give him high marks for his coverage abilities. Overall, the advanced metrics paint him as the 25th-best corner in the game out of 117 qualified players.

The Texans have come to terms on a new deal with impending free-agent cornerback Bradley Roby, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26. Roby was set to be one of the better cornerbacks available on the free-agent market. Instead, Houston will bring him back on a deal that Mike Garafolo reports spans for three years and is worth up to $36MM. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle added that sources tell him the deal includes roughly $17MM in guaranteed money.

Wilson had Tweeted earlier today that sides were expected to get a deal done but had nothing set at that point. Now the Texans can go into free agency, which appears set to start on schedule, with one less position of uncertainty. Houston traded most of their draft capital before the season began to acquire left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills from the Dolphins and would have been left scrambling to fill another hole through free agency.

Roby has never been considered an elite player but has remained a consistent contributor since entering the league in 2014. Cornerback was set to be one of the deeper positions entering free agency with Roby alongside the Panthers’ James Bradberry and elite Cowboys corner Byron Jones, but one fewer option will now be available to teams in search of cornerback depth. That’s a blow to teams like the Eagles, who are reportedly set to target corners in free agency.

Texans starting cornerback Bradley Roby suffered a “significant” hamstring injury on Sunday, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Right now, he’s expected to miss roughly a month of action, though things could be aided by the Week 10 bye. 

Fellow Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph is already sidelined with a hamstring issue, so this would be a huge blow to the Houston secondary. Roby has been a bright spot on Houston’s defense this year, so they’ll want him back on the field as soon as possible to keep the momentum going.

Roby inked a one-year, $10MM contract with Houston in March. For Roby, it was an opportunity to earn a more significant payday in the 2020 offseason. For the Texans, it was an opportunity to add a quality corner on a short-term deal, albeit one that struggled in a step up from nickel man to full-time player in 2018. Roby, 27, bet on himself in a big way – the Steelers were willing to give him $30MM over three years, but he turned them down.

The Texans topped the Chiefs 31-24 in Kansas City yesterday, bringing them to 4-2 on the season. Next, they’ll travel to Indy to face the Colts.