Houston Texans should definitely still be targeting Janoris Jenkins
The Houston Texans should definitely be targeting the services of Janoris Jenkins, despite his recent release from the Giants. Why is that the case? Look.
The Houston Texans are in the midst of a heated divisional battle between the Tennessee Titans are they’re duking it out as we speak within the somewhat friendly confines of Nissan Stadium.
All the Houston Texans have to do is to win BOTH games scheduled for today as well as the final game of the season scheduled for Dec. 29 and they will be crowned the AFC South champs. This could mark the 4th playoff berth in six seasons in the Bill O’Brien era which is definitely a track record that’s worth noting.
However, if the teams split the games, that means that Houston Texans own the tiebreaker and would still earn a postseason berth regardless. So for all intent and purposes, the ball is certainly in their hands and it’s up to them to ensure that they go out there and make the most of it.
We’ll certainly have to see about that but their postseason future for the remainder of the 2019 season is up for grabs.
But as this team gets ready to make a playoff push, they need all the tools possible to ensure that not only they get to the point of playing extra games but they win them as well. O’Brien’s legacy is — or it at least should be — hinged on this team making some sort of advancement in the playoffs.
One gadget that will likely be available early this week is cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Jenkins, who had been with the New York Giants for nearly the past four seasons was released for conduct that one categorize as detrimental and not in alignment with their values.
Jenkins was receiving criticism from a fan and he then responded with the word “retard” after giving his explanation, which caused a firestorm of a story on Twitter, where he had made those unfortunate remarks.
Jenkins apologized for his actions but it still left the Giants with no choice to sever ties with the seven-season NFL vet.
This will cause him to be available on waivers as early as tomorrow but because of a minor ankle injury, the Giants may have to place him back on their injured reserve list and then release him once again to go through the waiver process.
It could be mid-week before he’s available to teams needing a player of his stature for their push but the timing could be just right for the Houston Texans.
Jenkins is owed $1.2 million for the remainder of 2019 which is something the Houston Texans could cover easily with their estimated cap space being a bit over $30 million. It would be up to the team if they want to bring the 31-year-old back in the fold in 2020.
Jenkins has had his fair share of fines and run-ins with NFL league rules and although there’s some risk with such a move to try to claim him, I think the benefits will far outweigh the disadvantages.
Jenkins hasn’t been on a team that has contended for anything throughout his career, having spent his first four seasons in St. Louis with the Rams after being drafted in the second round out
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of North Alabama back in 2012.
We know that O’Brien is a no-nonsense type of coach and I think Jenkins would be able to stay in line, especially with Deshaun Watson upholding those same values as the positional leader of this team.
If the Houston Texans sign him, they should urge Jenkins to do some type of community service act because the comments can be viewed as offensive to those with a disability and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
But if this was a crafty scheme for Jenkins to supplant himself out of the Giants’ awful situation this season, he will have been successful and this team’s secondary will be stronger as a result.
We’ll be finding out how this shakes up soon.
Jenkins has four interceptions, 14 passes defensed and 54 combined tackles — 45 solos — through 13 starts this season.