Houston Texans: Why the team is taking a flyer on OL Jah Reid

The Houston Texans need all the help that they can get on the offensive line and they’ve just signed a guy off the street in hopes of fulfilling that need.

The Houston Texans are looking for every possible option outside of re-signing Duane Brown, who is currently holding out because of a dispute with his contract. This glorified game of chicken between he and the Houston Texans continues as he likely wants money in the remaining two years of his contract guaranteed.

That’s a stickler for the franchise, one that typically does not renegotiate deals until the final year and Brown certainly would impose that they change their modus operandi. In the meantime, with the amount of assistance that’s needed for coverage, the team is going to take a flyer on a free agent.

According to the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, the Texans have signed guard/tackle and former Super Bowl winner Jah Reid to the team:

Texans signing former Chiefs and Ravens offensive tackle Jah Reid, according to a source. Big former third round pick from UCF
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 16, 2017

Now I may be pushing the envelope a bit when I attached the phrase “Super Bowl” to his name but he was on the 2012 Baltimore Ravens, a team that had made it to the promised land. He was just a young buck that didn’t play much and was getting his feet wet but at the very least, he can say that he has a ring. Of course, not every NFL player can say that.

The 6’7,” 327-pound offensive lineman and former third round pick out of University of Central Florida spent four seasons with the Ravens (2011-14) and the past two with the Kansas City Chiefs where he had elevated to a starting role — 11 games — in 2015 but quickly regressed last season eventually being cut after the team trading for Cam Erving.

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Reid is a versatile player that can play both guard and tackle and is extremely athletic. It has been said that his size creates a competitive advantage and is known to be a solid run-blocker in coverage, creating holes for the running game.

Reid has had brushes with the law before. In 2014, he was arrested and charged with two counts of battery, a misdemeanor, after getting into an altercation with a man at strip club while in Key West, Fla. He eventually resolved the charges by participating in a pre-trial diversion program with the charges being dropped for Reid and the man he got into it with. He also didn’t face any penalties from the NFL because it was his first offense.

In addition, he also filed a civil suit earlier this year against his alma mater for the unauthorized use of his photos to promote one of UCF head coach Scott Frost‘s football camps. That suit is still pending and he’s seeking $800K in damages.

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But despite all of these happenings going on outside of his football life, the Texans feel that Reid is worth it as our offensive line continues to struggle. He has kept his nose relatively clean since that arrest some three years ago. If he’s able to get within of hair of how he played with the Chiefs in 2015, that would be better than most of the line as it currently stands. But we’ll see.

Reid, 29, has appeared in 61 career games — 18 starts — with the Ravens and Chiefs over the past six seasons.

Go Texans.

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