Watson thought he’d join Browns
When DeshaunWatson was preparing for the NFL draft, he thought he might wind up in Cleveland.
Watson even got a text message the day of the draft from former Browns coach Hue Jackson telling him to be ready
Instead, the Texans’ former general manager Rick Smith traded up from the 25th pick to get the No. 12 pick and take Watson.
Watson was the third quarterback drafted that year behind Mitchell Trubisky (second to Chicago) and Patrick Mahomes (10th to Kansas City).
“I remember it was very cold,” Watson said of his pre-draft visit to Cleveland. “I just remember the hotel and the facility, really, and then talking to Hue Jackson at that time. It was a good visit. The people there was cool. It was a great time. It was definitely a spot that I thought I was going to be at at the time.”
Cooks on pace for 1,000 yards
Midway through the season, Brandin Cooks is on pace to finish with 74 receptions for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns. He has 37 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns on 60 targets heading into Sunday’s game at Cleveland.
Both Cooks and Will Fuller are on pace for 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Fuller is on track for 74 catches for 1,180 yards and a dozen touchdowns. It would be the first time the Texans have two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season.
“To be able to do something that has never been done is always special,” said Cooks, who was acquired in an offeason trade with the Los Angeles Rams. “I think the most important thing is just however we can just continue to win. If that’s the case, I’m just thankful to be part of the conversation.”
Steadiness eludes LB Cunningham
Linebacker Zach Cunningham was the most effective run-stopper in the NFL last season but has had an inconsistent first half of the season.
Although he leads the Texans with 78 tackles and has three sacks and four tackles for losses, Cunningham also has a team-high 14 missed tackles.
Cunningham had a sharper performance against Jacksonville with a sack and sounder tackling technique.
“Zach did and our entire defense did,” Texans defensive coordinator
AnthonyWeaver said. “When we have 10 missed tackles or less, we tend to play pretty good defense, particularly in the run game. Whenever it gets above 10, it’s been bad shape for us. Obviously, two games against Jacksonville, and we tackled well versus Green Bay, and we just got to continue to do that moving forward.
“So I’ve challenged the group to make sure that we improve in that aspect. We’ve got to try to limit them to 100 yards rushing. We know it’s not going to be an easy task, but if we can do that, it certainly enhances our chances to win.”
Veteran McCown joins team Friday
The Texans officially activated veteran quarterback Josh McCown from the exempt- commissioner permission list.
McCown, 41, was signed to the active roster off Philadelphia’s practice squad last week, has completed his COVID-19 testing and will join the team for meetings and practice Friday.
A Texas native and former Sam Houston State standout, McCown is known for his leadership skills and knowledge of the game and should provide a mentoring presence for DeshaunWatson.
“Obviously, you look at his career and all the different schemes he’s been in, the players he’s been around, the coaches he’s been around, he’s got an unbelievable amount of knowledge that we’re going to look to learn from,” Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said. “We’re going to get himready to go out there and learn our offense, looking forward to getting him in the building so we can start to work together.”