Coutee finally trending in right direction
The frustration that Texans rookie wide receiver Keke Coutee has dealt with during seasonlong hamstring problems is starting to turn into cautious optimism.
Limited to six games and two starts due to three hamstring injuries, the fourth-round draft pick from Texas Tech has been practicing for the past few weeks and is hopeful about potentially returning to play Saturday against the New York Jets.
“Still getting better,” Coutee said Tuesday. “Trending upwards, so no setbacks. Just getting it right is all I’m focused on right now. It’s all about finding out what’s right and attacking and treating the problem.”
Operating as the Texans’ slot receiver, Coutee has caught 28 passes for 287 yards and one touchdown. However, he has missed the past two games since aggravating his hamstring during a victory over the Tennessee Titans.
“It’s tough for him,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s got to figure that out along with the medical staff and strength and conditioning staff. We’ve all got to work together to try to help him.
“He’s doing better. He’s trending toward being able to play. He’s a really good guy — he’s tough, he’s smart — but he’s got to try to get back on the field.”
Mathieu, Bowles go way back
The connections between hard-hitting Texans safety Tyrann Mathieu and New York Jets coach Todd Bowles keep intersecting.
A former All-Pro selection, Mathieu played for Bowles as a rookie with the Arizona Cardinals. And Bowles’ stepdaughter, a former New Orleans Hornets cheerleader, has a child with Mathieu, her former LSU classmate.
When Mathieu was a free agent in the spring, Jets safety Jamal Adams tried to recruit him before the Honey Badger signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Texans. Mathieu has energized the defense with his feisty, instinctive style.
“He was exactly the same,” Bowles said of Mathieu and his play in Arizona where the Jets coach was a defensive coordinator for Bruce
Arians. “His football IQ is outstanding. He was one of the first ones out to practice every day. He understood the game.
“He made plays, ballhawking. He’s small in height, but he can hit you. He can play corner, he can play safety, he’s a part linebacker. He was a great addition for us in Arizona, and he’s doing the same things over there.”
Saints to give Newton a chance
The New Orleans Saints have signed former Texans starting offensive tackle Derek Newton.
Newton was released in April with a failed physical designation, years after tearing both patellar tendons during a game against the Denver Broncos while trying to block pass rusher Von Miller.
Newton is attempting to become the first player to play in an NFL game after tearing both patellar tendons, following previous unsuccessful comebacks by cornerback Gary Baxter and wide receiver Wendell Davis. Newton was given the chance to recuperate from his devastating injury and compensated for two years by the Texans, but he never made it back from the play on which he fell backward awkwardly while blocking.
Elsewhere, Washington signed center-guard Kyle
Fuller off of the Texans’ practice squad.
Fuller is a 6-5, 310pound former seventhround draft pick from Baylor.
He played in nine games with two starts as a rookie last year.