First-round draft pick Kareem Jackson is slotted to start at right cornerback for the Texans in 2010.
The following article contains excerpts from the 2010 Houston Texans Yearbook, the Texans' official season preview magazine, that goes on sale July 30 at Texans Training Camp, presented by Comcast, and the **Go Texan Store* at Reliant Stadium.*
CORNERBACK Who's here:Glover Quin (projected starter), Kareem Jackson (projected starter), Jacques Reeves, Brice McCain, Antwaun Molden, Sherrick McManis, Fred Bennett, Mark Parson, Pierre Singfield
Who's new: Jackson (rookie draft pick), McManis (rookie draft pick), Singfield (rookie free agent)
Who's gone:Dunta Robinson (Atlanta Falcons)
With the departure of 2009 franchise player Dunta Robinson in free agency, second-year pro Glover Quin and rookie first-round draft pick Kareem Jackson (5-10, 197) take over as the Texans' starting cornerbacks in 2010.
Quin started 12 of the final 13 games last season as a fourth-round draft pick out of New Mexico. He had a team-high 11 passes defensed and was second among Texans cornerbacks with 64 tackles. Quin, like Jackson, is a physical corner who isn't afraid of contact.
Jackson, drafted 20th overall out of Alabama, lined up as a starter beginning with the Texans' first practice this offseason and met the team's expectations as a polished, NFL-ready player.
"(He) has been exceptional," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. "He's everything we thought he would be, well-coached coming from Nick (Saban) at Alabama. He has been a starter since the day he got off the plane here in Houston, and he will be a big-time contributor... He's been excellent."
A host of young players are battling for playing time behind Quin and Jackson. Seventh-year corner Jacques Reeves missed the first month of the 2009 season because of a broken leg, but he wound up starting five games and playing in 12 overall. Two seasons ago, he started all 16 games and had a team-high four interceptions. Second-year corner Brice McCain played in every game as a rookie last season and had one interception.
Third-year pro Antwaun Molden missed most of 2009 with injuries but, if he can stay healthy, has all the physical tools to be a starting cornerback. Rookie Sherrick McManis (6-1, 195), a fifth-round draft pick from Northwestern, is a player the Texans feel would have been drafted a few rounds higher if not for a quad injury that hindered him leading up to the draft. Fourth-year veteran Fred Bennett and second-year pro Mark Parson also are in the mix, along with undrafted rookie Pierre Singfield from Arizona State.
Spotlight on: Kareem Jackson Coaches' commentary"You wouldn't know by his work ethic and his temperament that he is a first-round draft pick because he just goes about his business every day. I think he'll have a good season. I think he'll be a good player for a long time. He's got to go do it on Sundays, but we've got some great wide receivers on our football team and when you sit there and watch practice every day, you don't know that he's out there. For a corner, that's a compliment. That means you're doing your job and executing the defense."
- Defensive backs coach David Gibbs
