Texans need cornerback Bradley Roby to play as CB1 in 2021
The Houston Texans have only had cornerback Bradley Roby play a total of 20 games through his first two seasons with the AFC South club.
By the numbers, the 10 games a season average is underwhelming compared to his time with the Denver Broncos from 2014-18 when he only missed one game during his entire tenure.
With the Texans changing schemes from a 3-4 to a Tampa 2, new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith still has high expectations for the former 2014 first-round pick from Ohio State.
“Number one, I think he has that skillset to be able to do [cover top receivers],” Smith told reporters on a Zoom call on June 8. “Excellent speed, quickness, change of direction, all of that. He’s a willing tackler. We need him to be our one cornerback as much as anything.”
Roby has provided splash plays for the Texans with three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, 15 pass breakups, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and 1.0 sack. The Texans will especially need that level of production matched with consistent availability as Houston competes in an AFC South that has just added Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans.
“The division seems like daily it’s getting stronger at the wide receiver position,” said Smith. “There will be some big challenges that we’ll have. I know most people assume we’re going to play — I hear it always, ‘well, you guys don’t need corners, you play Cover 2 every snap.’ Well, we play a little bit more than Cover 2 every snap.
“We’ll need to be able to match up on the outside and we feel like we’ll have not just Bradley that can do it, but others also.”
The Texans have other cornerbacks on the roster that have the potential to provide effective complements opposite of Roby, including Desmond King, Vernon Hargreaves, Terrance Mitchell, and Tavierre Thomas.
