For a variety of reasons, the Texans defense won't look like it did last season.
Personnel-wise, the coordinator, two captains and last year's leading tackler are gone. The scheme is now a 4-3 instead of a 3-4.
But a familiar face in safety Justin Reid, who was drafted by the club in 2018, returns.
He'll be counted on as one of the leaders, and he shared his thoughts what to expect in 2021 as opposed to last autumn.
"Obviously there's a lot more opportunities to make plays," Reid said in a Friday press conference. "I feel like that's all around. The linebackers are definitely the emphasis. The linebackers are going to make a lot of plays, but with the pressure that we're putting up front and with the linebackers creating pressure, it's going to create opportunities on the back end, too. If we can speed up the quarterback to get the ball out quickly, that's going to allow the backend DBs to be aggressive and make some plays on the ball, too."
That would be welcome, as the Texans are looking to boost their takeaways total from a League-worst nine in 2020.
Reid expanded on what he and the defensive backs can look forward to this season.
"I like that the coverage is tighter than it was a year ago," Reid said. "Last year felt like it was almost a little too zoney, too many gaps, but the coverages this year are a lot more tight, which I'm excited about. It's the system that I'm used to."
Reid has been working out some at NRG Stadium, and some with trainers elsewhere.
