Houston Texans: Predicting the 2017 53-Man Roster by Position
Linebackers
Linebackers (8) — Whitney Mercilus, Brian Cushing, Benardrick McKinney, Brennan Scarlett, Zach Cunningham, Sio Moore, Dylan Cole and Brian Peters
Mercilus, Cushing and McKinney are certainly the no-brainers for the Houston Texans. They’re the leaders of this unit and with the addition of McKinney, they’re only going to get even better as they’re already pretty damn good. Scarlett has had issues with his health but has maintained throughout the duration of camp and he’s ready to go.
Cunningham, our 2nd rounder from the draft, although his early weaknesses with coverage were exposed is a bright, young talent that’s primed for an ascent in his career as time goes on.
Moore is veteran lineman that will provide depth and a intense presence out on the field. Cole has tremendously impressed me throughout camp continuously making plays in camp in different areas such as special teams. I love his energy and hope to see more. Peters remains valuable — his camp has been okay — but he’s versatile as well, keeping his value high.
CUTS: Mike Catapano, Shakeel Rashad, Gimel President, Tony Washington Jr. and Avery Williams
More from House of Houston
- Are you the 2021 FanSided Sports Fan of the Year?
- Houston Texans: 4 reasons Romeo Crennel is right coach right now
- Astros-Twins Wild Card Series: 5 things to know as MLB postseason begins
- Houston Texans: The Most Underrated Sports Drought Ever
- Houston Texans: J.J. Watt’s early case for NFL Hall of Fame
Defensive Backs
Defensive Backs (9) — CB Johnathan Joseph, CB Kevin Johnson, S Andre Hal, S Corey Moore, CB Kareem Jackson, CB Treston Decoud, S Eddie Pleasant, S K.J. Dillon, CB Denzel Rice
Joseph, Johnson, Hal and Moore will be the anchors of this Houston Texans bunch as they’ll be counted upon to make plays of disrupting their receiver assignment and provide the last line of defense for our opponents. Decoud, Dillon, Pleasant and Rice have all contributed in some way in the preseason and they’re all worth having on the active roster. I’ve been most impressed with the hard-level of work that Rice has emanated throughout the preseason.
I’ve decided to cut long-time corner Robert Nelson and veteran Marcus Gilchrist. None of them have displayed that they’re ready to show what it takes to cover at their position so the decision to cut them has to be made. Lonnie Ballentine is unable to stay healthy and although his knee injury is serious, his best ability is availability and it’s just a matter of time before the Houston Texans won’t be as patient.