The Texans have their top four defensive linemen back from last season, but they lost a little depth when Christian Covington signed with the Cowboys as a free agent.
Defensive line coach Anthony Weaver knows who is looking to as a replacement for Covington. 2017 fourth-round pick Carlos Watkins only played 43 defensive snaps in Houston last year, but Weaver said he’s setting a high bar for him in his third NFL season.
“My expectations for Carlos are sky-high,” Weaver said, via the Houston Chronicle. “I know to this point, he probably hasn’t exceeded the expectations but a lot of that has been purely because of opportunity. Obviously, we lost a very good player in Christian Covington, so there’s a void there, and one that I expect Carlos to step in and try to fill. He’s coming into his third year. He’s taking all of the coaching, he listens to the veterans and he’s had a very good offseason. So, I’m looking for him to take that stride.”
Watkins played a bit more in his rookie season and has 24 tackles and a sack over his 16 total appearances as a professional. If he can step that up this year, it will leave the General Manager-less Texans with one less hole to fill on the roster.