From the Owner's Meeting: Texans Like Pass Catching Direction, Need More
The additions of Kirk, Berrios, and Watson clarify the depth chart
Bill O’Brien had a weird tick in his roster-building each offseason. If a player had a huge game against the Houston Texans and hit free agency, O’Brien seemed interested. Lamar Miller and Chris Polk were the most prominent when I think of the peculiar quirk.
O’Brien spoke about Polk’s eight carries, 50 yards, and one touchdown performance in 2014, as if he had seen 296 yards from Adrian Peterson. Polk was on the Texans the next season and then never played in the NFL again.
Fortunately, I don't get the same worry when DeMeco Ryans said he had coached against Christian Kirk for years and liked his game.
The Houston Texans needed help at wide receiver as soon as the season ended. Stefon Diggs was headed to free agency. Tank Dell was injured, sending his 2025 season into doubt.
They found that help.
The team added three new wideouts this offseason. They acquired Kirk via trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars before Jacksonville cut the veteran pass catcher. The Texans signed former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Braxton Berrios and former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson in free agency.
DeMeco Ryans spoke favorably about the new trio at the NFL Annual Meetings.
Ryans praised Kirk’s mindset as a player. He said it was “exactly” what he liked to work with as a coach.
The game was praised, too.
“I love Christian’s speed,” Ryans said. “One thing that jumps out about him is he’s a fast player. He’s made a lot of nice plays in the slot. Running the deep routes in the slot or winning the option routes on third down.”
When healthy, Kirk has been a good player. His last fully healthy season saw him amass 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns. Playing around a core muscle injury in 2023, Kirk was still averaging close to the same yards per game as his best season.
In case you’re wondering, he’s had 26 catches for 334 yards and two touchdowns against defenses where Ryans called plays.
Kirk is a slot wideout. Ryans expects the same out of the special-teams ace Berrios.
“Berrios has shown the ability to be a really good punt returner in the league, so expecting to see that from him,” Ryans said. “But also not just punt return, but he’s also shown up making plays in the slot as a receiver.”
Berrios was an All-Pro returner in 2021 for the New York Jets. He was fourth in total kick returns over the past four seasons. Berrios ranked seventh in kick return average over the past four years. His slot receptions were limited in recent years and he’s coming off an ACL injury last year.
Ryans spoke even more glowingly about Watson.