Only one player in the NFL has more special teams tackles this season than Brian Peters.
Two others have as many.
Peters, with 15 stops on punt and kickoff coverage in 2015, has been an invaluable member of the Texans special teams units. And he's done so in a very limited amount of time. Peters didn't join the squad until September 30, after the Texans had fallen to 1-2 on the season. Three days later, he made his first tackle, and has been a stalwart since.
"He's got really good speed," head coach Bill O'Brien said Monday on Texans Radio. "He is tough. He's made a bunch of tackles on kickoff. He's made a bunch of tackles on punt. He's a good communicator."
A second-year linebacker out of Northwestern, Peters' professional football journey has been a winding one. He played safety in college from 2007 to 2011, and rang up 11 interceptions during that time for the Wildcats. In 2012 he was an Iowa Barnstormer, which is an Arena League team. The two seasons after that were spent north of the border with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, where he won a Grey Cup in 2013. This August, he was in camp with the Vikings, but was cut in early September and then re-signed to the practice squad.
The Texans signed him to the 53-man roster at the end of that month, and he's been a mainstay since. Along with fellow special teams standouts Max Bullough and Akeem Dent, Peters has been a real key to the Texans' success.
"Now, for every future Houston Texan team, you can always point to these guys," O'Brien said. "These are the guys that really accepted their roles. They weren't starters on defense. Or starters on offense. But they really perfected their roles and they helped the team win. That's a key in the NFL."
Peters left Sundays' game with a chest injury, but still managed to log a tackle.
He and the Texans return to the practice field on Wednesday morning at the Houston Methodist Training Center. They'll host the Jaguars at noon CT this Sunday in NRG Stadium.
Check out snapshots of the action from the Texans at Titans Week 16 matchup.
Houston Texans free safety Quintin Demps (27) gets past Tennessee Titans guard Quinton Spain (60) as Demps runs for a touchdown after recovering a fumble and returning it 33 yards in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/James Kenney)
Houston Texans free safety Quintin Demps (27) recovers a fumble by Tennessee Titans running back Antonio Andrews after Andrews was hit by Texans defensive back Kareem Jackson (25) in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. Demps returned the recovery 33 yards for a touchdown. (AP Photo/Weston Kenney)
Houston Texans free safety Quintin Demps scores a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans after recovering a fumble and returning it 33 yards in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/James Kenney)
Houston Texans free safety Quintin Demps (27) gets past Tennessee Titans guard Quinton Spain (60) as Demps returns a fumble recovery 33 yards for a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. At left is Texans defensive end Jared Crick (93). (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger (7) passes as Houston Texans outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney rushes in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/James Kenney)
Houston Texans quarterback Brandon Weeden passes against the Tennessee Titans in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
Houston Texans free safety Quintin Demps, center, celebrates with Andre Hal (29) and Duane Brown (76) after Demps returned a fumble recovery 33 yards for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
