When the Houston Texans signed wide receiver Amari Rodgers this week, few thought that their special teams coordinator would have much to say about his inclusion on the team’s roster. However, Frank Ross broke the mold on Thursday, telling reporters that he is looking forward to coaching Rogers up as part of his unit, especially in light of some mistakes that the young receiver made as part of the Green Bay Packers.
Asked about the challenge of ensuring that Rodgers doesn’t become a liability on punt and kickoff returns, Ross made it clear that he sees it as his job to correct any issues the second-year receiver might have, and form him into a consistent contributor for the team by the end of the season.
“Any player that gets added to the roster is going to have strengths and weaknesses,” Ross explained. “No matter where they come from, they have different training history that they’ve used. Got to integrate everybody onto our roster and start, whether it’s fundamentals or schematically, getting him up to speed in our techniques and things we’re asking him to do.
“Trying to improve every single person on our roster whatever it is. You’ve got to sweep the corners of your skillset and make whatever your strengths are stronger and your weaknesses, make sure those are cleaned up. Any challenges whatever it is, we’ll find a way to make each player better as best we can.”
Rodgers has found himself moved from one struggling franchise to another following the Texans’ decision to claim him on Wednesday. He was a highly-touted prospect in last year’s draft as a third-round pick from Clemson but has struggled to live up to the promise shown on his college film to this point in his career.
If he is able to make an impact in Houston through the rest of the year, watch for Rodgers to play a key role in the Texans’ looming rebuild in 2023.
