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

ByT.A. Mock|Sep 25, 2018, 2:05 PM EDT

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 01: Dylan Cole #51 of the Houston Texans (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

TheHouston Texansannounced today thatDylan Colewas placed on IR with an injury. Here’s why this is a devastating blow to the team.

TheHouston Texansfell 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 Davenportstruggled with his mental game once again on Sunday recording three false starts and one holding penalty.He’s collected a total of six penaltiesalready 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 Watsondid show a lot of improvement in week three.JJ Wattalso had a big breakout game that should be a catalyst for the rest of the season.

However, one of the biggest blows, outside of the 0-3 record, wasDylan Colegoing 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 reportedthat theHouston Texanswere 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 Cunninghamhas 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, theHouston Texanshave no one to come in and even attempt to do what he does. The team promoted offensive tackleDavid Sharpeto the 53 man roster in a corresponding move.

So, in order to mitigate the damages of this devastating blow, theHouston Texanswill need Cunningham to get back at least to where he was last year. They’ll also need someone to be able to competently spell bothBenardrick McKinneyand Cunningham.Brian Petersis currently the next man up. Time will tell if this will be enough to fill the hole the injury to Cole leaves.

For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus,subscribe to PFF’s EDGE or ELITE subscriptions at ProFootballFocus.com.

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