When the Texans began considering trading for Demaryius Thomas, coach Bill O’Brien and General Manager Brian Gaine needed only to walk down the hall to get the inside scoop.
Texans offensive assistant Wes Welker and Thomas were teammates in Denver in 2013 and ’14.
“They just asked me what type of guy he was,” Welker said, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “Obviously, D.T.'s a great dude. He was like my little brother when we were there in Denver. He’s done a great job with his career and hopefully we just keep it going here.”
The five-time Pro Bowler caught three passes for 61 yards in his Texans’ debut against the Broncos.
“Demaryius is a sharp guy, is a real pro and has been around the league for a long time,” Welker said. “He’s actually been in this system – although things have changed a little bit – but some of the terminology was the same from his rookie year and some of his early years there in Denver. He’s done a great job of staying on top of the game plan and hopefully that should get better as we go.”
While Welker is excited to be reunited with Thomas, their relationship has changed.
“Oh, I already told him,” Welker said. “I was like, ‘You call me Coach Welker. I’m not Wes to you. I’m Coach Welker.’ So we had some fun with that.”