Houston Texans roster battle: Keke Coutee vs. Braxton Miller
In two NFL seasons, Houston Texans receiver Braxton Miller has failed to live up to high expectations. Could Keke Coutee take his roster spot?
The Houston Texans are primed for a major bounce-back season in 2018, but which players will be part of it?
The Texans have a plethora of weapons on the offensive side of the football, though one player has failed to live up to expectations thus far.
That player is receiver Braxton Miller, who is admittedly transitioning to a position he didn’t even play in college.
In two seasons with the Texans, Miller has 34 receptions for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Even for a player picked in the third round, those numbers are unacceptable.
The Texans haven’t had much continuity at the quarterback position for Miller to succeed, so perhaps arguing whether or not he’s in danger of a roster spot is premature.
In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Texans picked up Texas Tech big-play threat Keke Coutee, who drew some rave reviews from DeAndre Hopkins at OTAs…
Nuk on WR Keke Coutee: “He’s only getting better," Hopkins said. "He’s always hanging around, seeing what I’m doing in between periods, asking me questions. Coming in, learning this offense, getting his playbook and that’s what he’s been doing.” https://t.co/SksrIaJux9
— Steve Arzberger (@SteveArzberger) June 26, 2018
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Coutee averaged nearly 16 yards per reception over the past two seasons, setting career marks in catches (93), yards (1,429), and touchdowns (10) in 2017.
Houston’s wide receiver group has plenty of big-play ability but a number of players who do virtually the same thing.
Does this mean we’ll have a ‘Coutee vs. Miller’ battle on our hands this offseason?
It’s possible.
The Texans seem to remain optimistic that Miller will eventually break through, but 2018 could be a make-or-break year. Rather than this year’s battle being for just one roster spot, perhaps Coutee and Miller will battle for significant snaps in the Texans’ offense.
With a healthy DeShaun Watson, they should certainly not take any rep for granted.
With Wes Welker on the Texans’ staff in an assistant role, both Coutee and Miller should be able to expand their games beyond just being deep threats.
Both players are exceptional athletes but someone in this Texans’ offense needs to develop as a dynamic slot option and someone who can eat up targets as well as blow the top off of defenses.