Entering the 2022 offseason, the Houston Texans’ secondary was one of the weakest links on the team. Their boundary corner play had been well below average in 2021 and the two most talented defensive back on the team, Justin Reid and Desmond King, were all but guaranteed to leave in free agency.
Despite running a defense that is primarily driven by its defensive lineman and linebackers, the weakness of the secondary was a major concern. That was until Nick Caserio decided it wouldn’t be. Houston invested massively in their cornerback group over the next few months.
Derek Stingley was drafted third overall, with new head coach Lovie Smith preaching that Stingley had the talent to shadow team’s best receivers every game. King was resigned to a very team-friendly contract. Steven Nelson was signed away from the Philadelphia Eagles to start at the boundary corner opposite Stingley.
