The Houston Texans’ special teams unit has been one of the team’s strengths this season, even if only because the offense and defense have been wildly inconsistent. Coordinator Frank Ross has a lot to do with that, and he spoke to reporters about a key decision he has to make ahead of the Texans’ matchup against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday; who he will send out to return punts.
Asked about who he sees as a viable option for the role in the Texans’ Wednesday press conference, Ross pointed out no less than five players who might see snaps as a returner in the near future, including one of the team’s most recent additions.
“We’ve already rolled a couple out throughout the game and as our depth changed not only last week with a DB being inactive,” Ross explained. “On who could play at the returner role and now add in whoever it may be, whether it’s Amari [Rodgers], Tremon [Smith], whether it’s Phillip [Dorsett], Grayland [Arnold] when he was healthy. All those guys are available to use, we’ve just been using Desmond [King II] at this point at a more consistent basis. We’re going to try and continue [to play] whoever gives us the best chance to make plays.”
Any points that Houston might be able to pick up on special teams would go a long way toward helping the team secure its second win of the 2022 season, especially from scores in the return game. Though they only happen once in a blue moon, the kickoff return for a touchdown is widely considered one of the most exciting plays in football, and Texans fans would certainly be ecstatic if their team could manage to pull one off against the AFC frontrunning Dolphins.
Any of the players Ross listed could be the difference between a win or loss for Houston on Sunday.
