HEADLINES

Christian Covington

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/17/21

November 17th, 2021 at 4:44pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Chargers To Sign Christian Covington

May 10th, 2021 at 12:17pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Chargers are adding some depth to their defensive line. Los Angeles has agreed to terms with free agent defensive tackle Christian Covington, his agent David Canter announced on Twitter.

The Chargers previously had Linval Joseph, but not much else at defensive tackle. With Melvin Ingram leaving in free agency, their defensive front depth as a whole had been looking pretty thin. Covington was drafted by the Texans in the sixth-round back in 2015, and became a solid contributor and part-time starter in Houston.

In his final season with the Texans in 2018 he had his best year as a pass-rusher, racking up 3.5 sacks coming up the middle in only 12 games. He signed a one-year deal with Dallas in 2019, then a one-year $1.75MM contract with the Broncos last offseason.

He never ended up playing a game for Denver, as the Broncos traded him to the Bengals right before the start of last season. He appeared in all 16 games for Cincy, starting 14, and notching a career-high 39 tackles. The folks over at Pro Football Focus gave him middling grades for his work. He’ll turn 28 in October.

Broncos Trade Christian Covington To Bengals

September 4th, 2020 at 1:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have agreed to trade defensive tackle Christian Covington to the Bengals in exchange for linebacker Austin Calitro, as Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com tweets. The deal appears to be a one-for-one swap, with no additional draft capital attached. 

Covington joined the Broncos on a one-year, $1.75MM deal in April. Before that, he spent the 2019 season with the Cowboys and the previous four years with the Texans. With Dallas, he had one of his most productive seasons to date, posting a career-high 28 tackles to go with one sack and one pass defended in 16 games. For his career, he has 93 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and a forced fumble to his credit.

Calitro suited up in 13 games (including four starts) for the Jaguars last year, but they dropped him in late April to make room for their incoming class of draft picks and a host of undrafted free agents. The Bengals scooped him up off of waivers, using their higher priority to beat out the Broncos. The Browns, Jets, and Raiders also tried to claim Calitro, who registered 40 tackles and a sack while serving as a key special teams contributor in 2019.

Broncos Sign DL Christian Covington

April 28th, 2020 at 9:33am CST by Ben Levine

Christian Covington is heading to Denver. The defensive lineman is signing with the Broncos, reports SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter).

It’ll be a one-year deal worth $1.75MM for the 26-year-old. The deal includes $625K in guaranteed money.

Following a four-year stint with the Texans, the former sixth-rounder signed with the Cowboys last offseason. He ended up having one of the most productive seasons of his career, compiling a career-high 28 tackles to go with one sack and one pass defended in 16 games (six starts).

In total, Covington has made 66 regular season appearances (15 starts) during his career, collecting 8.5 sacks.

Covington will be competing with rookie third-rounder McTelvin Agim for snaps behind starter Mike Purcell.

Cowboys To Sign DL Christian Covington

March 14th, 2019 at 10:38am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Christian Covington is staying in the state of Texas. The former Texans defensive lineman is signing with the Cowboys, a source told Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio (Twitter link).

Per Caplan, it’s a one-year deal. No word on the terms yet, but it’s a significant signing for Dallas. A sixth round pick of Houston back in 2015, Covington had a career year last season. In a rotational role, Covington racked up 3.5 sacks in just 12 games last season. He earned above average marks from Pro Football Focus during his time on the field.

He played just under 25% of the defensive snaps in Houston last season, so his production is notable. Covington has struggled a bit with injuries the past couple of seasons, as he played in only seven games in 2017. He’ll be joining a talented Dallas defensive front that took a big step forward last season.

With Randy Gregory suspended again and David Irving appearing to walk away from the game, there should be some playing time open on Dallas’ defensive line next year. Covington played his college ball at Rice, so he’s been in the Texas area for a long time now.

Free Agency Notes: Foles, Jaguars, Saints

March 11th, 2019 at 5:27pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Nick Foles is going to be a Jaguar. The Super Bowl MVP agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the Jaguars, with a base value of $88MM. While Foles cashed in, he didn’t have much of a choice on where to go. There were “no significant other suitors” for Foles’ services on the open market, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). In the video posted to his account. Garafolo explains that Jacksonville was essentially bidding against themselves, but didn’t mind overpaying.

Garafolo reports the Jaguars wanted to pay Foles more than they had to, so that he would have the immediate credibility in the locker room of being the unquestioned starter. The Jags thought it would’ve sent the wrong message if they had lowballed Foles and tried to pay him something in the $15MM range, and that it would’ve diminished Foles’ standing. Having Foles being able to step in and manage all the large personalities in their locker room is very important to the team, Garafolo notes.

Here’s more from around the league on a very busy first day of free agency:

  • Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby is “getting a lot of interest” from teams, according to James Palmer of NFL Network (Twitter link). Palmer reports that the competition for Roby seems to have narrowed down to the Texans, Browns, Steelers, 49ers, Raiders and Broncos. Everything we’ve heard recently has indicated Roby will be walking in free agency, so it would be a bit of a surprise if he returned to Denver. A 2014 first round pick, Roby has been a solid player but has never quite lived up to his draft status. He started 15 games for the Broncos last year.
  • Texans defensive lineman Christian Covington isn’t ruling out a return to Houston, but the team plans to let him test the open market, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. Wilson reports that Covington is expected to have a “healthy market” in free agency. Covington has been a bit player for the Texans the past four seasons, but did have a career-high 3.5 sacks in relatively limited action last season.
  • The Saints are “still hoping” to retain Mark Ingram, but they aren’t going to break the bank to do it, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. Graziano writes the Saints won’t be willing to pay much more than the $4MM they gave Ingram last season. A split could make sense for both sides if Ingram is looking for a raise and New Orleans is looking to give Alvin Kamara even more touches.

Texans Rumors: Watson, Martin, Mathieu

April 12th, 2018 at 6:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite tearing an ACL in November, Deshaun Watson looks like he’ll have some involvement in the Texans‘ offseason program. The one-time offensive rookie of the year favorite is ahead of schedule in his recovery process, just as Bill O’Brien anticipated he would be coming into the offseason program, James Palmer of NFL.com reports (video link). Watson will be throwing some during the offseason. Although Watson is currently working out in a brace on the injured knee, Palmer notes the second-year quarterback may not have to wear a brace once he returns to game action. The former national championship-winning passer will not participate in the team portions of the Texans’ OTAs but will throw during the seven-on-seven and passing portions of the workouts, per Palmer.

Here’s the latest out of Houston.

  • The Texans are considering moving center Nick Martin to guard, Palmer reports. The third-year player started in 14 Texans games at center last season, his first as a healthy NFLer after he missed all of his would-be rookie year due to injury. Having reached an agreement with another former Chiefs offensive lineman in Zach Fulton, it’s possible the Texans could slide Martin to guard and Fulton to center — where he played at times in Kansas City. O’Brien said as many as four new starters could be set to block for Watson this coming season. Senio Kelemete and Seantrel Henderson are now in the fold as well. Houston’s highest-paid lineman remains Jeff Allen, who has not lived up to the $7MM-per-year deal he signed in 2016. Martin’s brother, Zack, of course, is arguably the best guard in the game.
  • Tyrann Mathieu may be gradually pushed into a versatile position with his new team. Palmer notes the Texans plan to initially just play him at safety but do want him working at cornerback and as a blitzer. This hybrid job description helped Mathieu to an All-Pro perch in 2015 and a then-record safety contract before another injury sidetracked him and eventually re-routed him to Houston.
  • Joe Webb will make $915K in base salary and will carry a $720K cap figure this season, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. The wide receiver/quarterback received a $90K signing bonus.
  • Defensive lineman Christian Covington has been fully cleared after his torn biceps injury in October ended his 2017 season, per Wilson. Covington started two games last season and played in seven, doing so after making five starts in 2016.
  • The Texans released right tackle Derek Newton earlier on Thursday and did so with a failed physical designation, Wilson tweets. Newton had not played since October 2016, when he sustained two severe knee injuries on one play.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/31/17

October 31st, 2017 at 5:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

  • Promoted to active roster: OL Maurquice Shakir
  • Released: WR Griff Whalen

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Texans’ Christian Covington Done For Season

October 30th, 2017 at 12:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have lost yet another member of the front seven. This time, it’s defensive end Christian Covington. His season is over thanks to a torn bicep, coach Bill O’Brien told reporters on Monday morning (Twitter link). Christian Covington (vertical)

Covington, originally slated to be a backup, was thrust into the starting lineup when the Texans lost multiple starters to injury. Houston will now have to dig even deeper after losing defensive end J.J. Watt and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus to long-term injuries. Defensive ends Kendall Langford (knee) and Joel Heath (knee), meanwhile, are still on the mend.

Covington appeared in seven games for the Texans this year, including two starts. He finishes out with 16 tackles and one sack. In his small sample of play (166 snaps), Pro Football Focus gave him an 82.2 overall score, putting him the top 30 for interior defenders.

Texans Sign Entire Draft Class

May 8th, 2015 at 8:08am CST by Luke Adams

The Texans have locked up their entire 2015 draft class in one fell swoop, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, who reports (via Twitter) that the club has signed all seven of its draftees. That includes first-round cornerback Kevin Johnson and second-round linebacker Benardrick McKinney.

According to Over The Cap’s draft pool figures, Johnson will be in line for a four-year contract worth more than $10MM, including a signing bonus of about $5.569MM. His deal will include a fifth-year option for 2019 as well. As for McKinney, he’ll earn $5.345MM over his four-year rookie deal, including a $2.147MM signing bonus.

Other Texans players who are now under contract with the team include third-round receiver Jaelen Strong, fifth-round wideout Keith Mumphery, sixth-round outside linebacker Reshard Cliett, sixth-round defensive tackle Christian Covington, and seventh-round running back Kenny Hilliard.

As our draft pick signings tracker shows, Houston is the third team to finish signing its 2015 draft class. The Dolphins and Vikings have also reached agreements with all their draftees.

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