Search begins to replace Fuller
Will Fuller’s right knee did more than buckle when the Texans wide receiver ran a fly pattern during Thursday’s 42-23 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
The fastest player on the roster, Fuller tore his anterior cruciate ligament and was declared out for the remainder of the season Friday. Fuller, who will undergo surgery to repair the damage, will be placed on injured reserve.
This injury dramatically changes the complexion of the offense as Fuller was the Texans’ most dangerous deep threat.
Fuller delivered one of his top performances Thursday night, catching five passes for 124 yards against Miami. That included a 73-yard touchdown catch during which he created a ton of separation behind the secondary.
Fuller had been thriving since the arrival of quarterback Deshaun Watson, catching 11 touchdown passes from him during the 11 games they’ve played together. He was in the mid-
dle of his best season since being drafted in the first round in 2016, having caught 32 passes for 503 yards and four touchdowns.
“Been playing well, but that’s the thing about this league,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “I think if you go through every team, everybody’s dealing with injuries. It’s such a cliché, but the coaching staff, the players, we all have to pitch in and figure it out and figure out how we’re going to construct the offense.
“Maybe some things will be the same, maybe some things will be a little bit different. Most importantly, for right now, (I’m) very disappointed for Will because Will’s a great guy, has really been playing at a high level.”
The Texans will lean even more heavily on All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who leads the team with 53 catches for 789 yards and six touchdowns.
And they will look to expand the contributions of rookie Keke Coutee once he’s fully recovered from a left hamstring injury that kept him out against Miami. Coutee isn’t a lock to return next week against the Denver Broncos. In four games, Coutee has caught 21 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown.
“We’ll see where he’s at,” O’Brien said. “He’s a guy that had been playing well for us, and hopefully he can come back at some point. I think Keke’s a very versatile guy.
“You’ve seen us put him in the backfield, he’s played on the outside, obviously he plays on the inside. A little bit different than Will, no doubt about it.”
Coutee provides more of an underneath threat, but he can line up outside, too.
Not having Fuller will mean other players must contribute. That includes players like undrafted rookie wide receiver Vyncint Smith, a former Division II standout at Limestone College. Smith has outstanding speed as a 4.37 sprinter, but he has just one NFL reception for 28 yards. The Texans also can look at specialteams contributor Sammie Coates, who has good size.
The Texans can evaluate the trade market, including Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker, Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate. Trades are rare in the NFL, though.
The Texans are not expected to pursue former Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl wide receiver Dez Bryant, a mentor to Coutee who attended the same high school in Lufkin.
Bryant has been out of work since being released by the Cowboys. He was offered a contract by Baltimore, but declined. He has visited Cleveland, but he remains unemployed while working out on his own and dealing with personal issues. He recently acknowledged having anxiety and depression.
O’Brien was asked specifically about Bryant, but he was noncommittal on the veteran receiver.
“I would say my answer to that is we explore everything,” O’Brien said. “I think that’s kind of the job, one of the main jobs of, obviously, (general manager) Brian (Gaine) and then he brings things to me and then we talk and we communicate.
“I would say we explore everything, including our own team. How can we use this guy in maybe another position? Or do this, can we do that? We look at our own team first in addition to looking at what’s going on outside.”
The Texans are scheduled to work out former Cowboys wide receiver Brice Butler, according to a league source not authorized to speak publicly.
Butler was cut by the Cowboys after they traded for Oakland Raiders receiver Amari Cooper. Butler has caught 73 career passes for 1,177 yards and eight touchdowns in six NFL seasons.
The Texans will give players on their roster first crack at filling in for Fuller. O’Brien acknowledged it won’t be quite the same without him.
“I know there are guys in the locker room that can do certain things,” O’Brien said. “Obviously, if they could do them like Will, they would’ve been out there like Will. We still have guys that can run.
“We have guys that can do some of the things that we’re going to need to do in the building, and we’ll keep working with those guys and see what else is going on.”