Colvin eager to step into spotlight
Overshadowed in Jacksonville, cornerback wants to earn recognition with new team
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Shadowing wide receivers, Texans cornerback Aaron Colvin never breaks stride as he matches every cut and fake step for step.
His backpedal is textbook form. And his style is extremely aggressive.
Colvin doesn’t back down an inch, constantly challenging receivers at the line of scrimmage and downfield.
If Colvin gets beat, it’s not for long. He has impressive recovery speed as part of his repertoire as a proven veteran cornerback.
But something is still missing from the equation for him.
When Colvin played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, he was overshadowed in his own secondary as he operated in an important complementary role working in tandem with Pro Bowl cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye while he shined statistically.
Although the Texans invested a four-year, $34 million contract during free agency to sign Colvin, he still craves more respect and recognition. His top goal is for the team to win, of course. With success, though, Colvin is hoping to get noticed more.
“It’s very complicated,” Colvin said following a training camp practice adjacent to The Greenbrier. “I talk about it a lot as far as me feeling like I’m very slept on. I think people don’t understand
what I’m doing.
“I’ve kind of had to reshape my focus and put that energy toward the team and this defense and being the best that I can. The team, if we’re winning games, everybody gets recognized and gets what they deserve.”
Colvin witnessed firsthand how pivotal team success is to how a player is perceived in NFL circles.
It wasn’t until the Jaguars reached the AFC Championship Game last season and became the top-ranked defense collectively that individuals like Ramsey and Bouye were being talked about as being among the best players in the NFL.
For years, the Jaguars were the doormats of the AFC South. Now, they’re favorites to repeat as division champions, and oftcriticized quarterback Blake Bortles was the recipient of a contract extension few expected him to land.
“Perfect example,” Colvin said. “Honestly, my previous three years in Jacksonville, we had just as good talent, but we weren’t winning games. More people started watching film, watching games. That’s when recognition happens.”
In NFL circles, it’s not as if Colvin is a secret. Especially amongst film mavens who appreciate his consistency.
A former Jaguars fourthround draft pick, Colvin didn’t allow a touchdown pass last season. He gave up the sixth-fewest yards per snap and was ranked third among all slot corners by allowing 0.75 yards per catch last season, according to the analytics site Pro Football Focus.
“I definitely appreciate it, the people that recognize what I’m doing out there,” Colvin said. “I take a lot of pride in locking up receivers and helping my team win. It’s cool when people say something, but at the end of the day, if I’m not getting the win, I could care less about my stats.”
Banking on lockdown ability
The Texans’ investment of $18 million guaranteed in Colvin was intended to bolster a pass defense that slipped to 24th in the NFL last year after losing Bouye to the Jaguars as a free agent on a five-year, $67.5 million contract. Bouye intercepted a career-high six passes last season for the Jaguars, while his old team struggled in single coverage without his shutdown presence.
Now, the Texans are banking on Colvin’s injecting their defense with some lockdown ability as an inside and outside cornerback.
“Yeah, very competitive, smart guy, instinctive player, can do a couple of different things relative to playing inside, playing outside,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s helping us on special teams. So he’s a versatile guy that is a good guy, a very good guy, a very competitive guy.”
He’ll operate as an outside and inside corner this year but will play a lot more on the outside with the Texans than he did in Jacksonville.
That was one of the primary reasons Colvin signed with the Texans.
“Truthfully, I did want to play some outside,” Colvin said. “It’s about winning my one-on-ones. It gives myself the best chance to make a play.”
The Texans have corners Johnathan Joseph and Kevin Johnson in place to play outside, but Joseph is 34 years old, and Johnson has struggled with his durability and been prone to penalties.
The Texans are going to need a big season out of Colvin regardless of where he lines up the most.
“I think primarily he’s going to play inside, but there’s going to be certain packages where he’ll play on the outside,” O’Brien said. “He has the ability to do both. Mostly, in Jacksonville, he played on the inside of the coverage, inside of the formation, but here he’ll do a little bit of everything.”
Colvin recorded 45 tackles and five passes defended in 16 games (five starts) last season. For his career, Colvin has 167 tackles, five sacks and no interceptions.
Ambitious set of goals
He’s looking for even more production and a better performance this fall.
“My goals, I can’t give you all of that,” he said. “I can’t tell you all of my secrets, but I expect to dominate everybody I line up across from, and I expect to be a leader and to elevate everybody around me. I want to be more vocal, be more of a leader, and get my hands on more balls.”
So far, Colvin is making a smooth transition to his new surroundings, fitting in well with the locker room chemistry. Except for Johnson, Colvin didn’t know a lot of the Texans’ players well before joining the franchise. Now that he’s been on the team since March, he’s enjoying the atmosphere.
“I love it,” Colvin said. “I love the culture. I love the city as a whole. The team is all about winning. It’s just a player-friendly environment. I’m prepared for anything they want me to do inside and outside and win all my one-on-one matchups.
“It’s great, man. All these guys are really unselfish. It makes it really easy to come to a new team and join that. For these guys to accept me and help me grow my game, it means a lot.”
Colvin likes playing for O’Brien, who is best friends with Jaguars coach Doug Marrone, with whom O’Brien coached at Georgia Tech.
Colvin sees a lot of parallels between the two AFC South head coaches.
“One thing I like a lot about coach O’Brien is he’s very honest,” Colvin said. “He’s going to tell you right from wrong. You appreciate that as a player. He’s going to be honest, and you don’t want him to sugarcoat it.”
Accountability, family and faith are huge to Colvin. A newlywed, he is driven to provide for his family and to set a good example.
“No question, any time somebody says their family doesn’t affect them, I think they’re lying,” Colvin said. “My family is everything to me behind my Lord and Savior. Everything I do is to provide for them and inspire them and show them there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m just a vessel. I let God steer me. Without Him, I wouldn’t be talking with you today.”