Houston Texans: Dylan Cole to the IR is a devastating blow to the team

The Houston Texans announced today that Dylan Cole was placed on IR with an injury. Here’s why this is a devastating blow to the team.

The Houston Texans fell to 0-3 on Sunday following an extremely disappointing showing against the New York Giants. This was a matchup that the Texans were highly favored in yet the team found a way to beat themselves once again.

Julien Davenport struggled with his mental game once again on Sunday recording three false starts and one holding penalty. He’s collected a total of six penalties already this season which is far and away the most on the team, five of those have been false starts.

Davenport is obviously not the only issue the team is facing right now but these mental mistakes make it hard for an offense to gain momentum. However, Deshaun Watson did show a lot of improvement in week three. JJ Watt also had a big breakout game that should be a catalyst for the rest of the season.

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However, one of the biggest blows, outside of the 0-3 record, was Dylan Cole going down with an arm injury. Cole may never be a bonafide star but he is a stud at the linebacker position and allows this defense to do what they do.

Sure, Cole has had his fair share of struggles this season, especially after a weak showing this past week against the Giants. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has graded Cole out at 44.3 overall on defense and 51.5 in coverage, an area typically known as his strong suit.

Though, Cole has also had his bright spots this season. In week one against the Patriots, Cole graded out above average in pass coverage. In week two against the Titans, Cole was phenomenal in run defense and didn’t miss a single tackle.

So, when Aaron Wilson reported that the Houston Texans were placing Cole on the IR with a dislocated wrist the shockwave was felt as this key contributor is now out for the entire season.

Cole has been especially important this year as fellow second-year linebacker, Zach Cunningham has failed to make the jump he was expected to. Cunningham’s play, overall, has been completely abysmal. He hasn’t been able to cover anyone, he’s been missing tackles left and right, and has blown a lot of assignments on run defense.

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While Cole hasn’t been that much better, being able to rotate the two linebackers has helped cover up the deficiencies the other is facing at that time. So, with Cole now being out, Cunningham is going to have to get himself right and fast.

Athletic, rangy, and versatile linebackers are a must in this defense. Losing Cole definitely hurts that as he has the ability to back up multiple positions and cover multiple positions. Currently, the Houston Texans have no one to come in and even attempt to do what he does. The team promoted offensive tackle David Sharpe to the 53 man roster in a corresponding move.

So, in order to mitigate the damages of this devastating blow, the Houston Texans will need Cunningham to get back at least to where he was last year. They’ll also need someone to be able to competently spell both Benardrick McKinney and Cunningham. Brian Peters is currently the next man up. Time will tell if this will be enough to fill the hole the injury to Cole leaves.

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