While the Houston Texans didn’t surpass their goal of playing for a conference title, there’s ample to be pleased with heading into Year 3 of the DeMeco Ryans era.
One key element is the growth of second-round pick Kamari Lassiter, who continued his promising offseason into live reps as the No. 2 corner behind All-Pro Derek Stingley Jr.
Houston’s top 10 pass defense wouldn’t have reached new peaks without Lassiter locking down a team’s No. 2 target, though most accolades went to Stingley during his All-Pro season.
Recently, NFL.com’s Kevin Patra broke down the unsung heroes for every AFC team for 2024. Lassiter, who allowed the lowest coverage grade among all rookie cornerbacks per Pro Football Focus, was the clear option.
“Playing across from Derek Stingley Jr., Lassiter entered the season knowing he’d see the bulk of targets thrown his way,” Prata wrote. “The rookie stepped into that spotlight and delivered time and time again. Lassiter generated a 58.6 passer rating against as the nearest defender, including playoffs — second among all CBs with at least 300 coverage snaps, per NGS. The only player better: Stingley.”
Drafted No. 42 overall last April., Lassiter was flagged for having a slow 40-time, thus knocking him out of the first-round conversations. When Houston drafted him, it intended to have him start in the nickel before shifting him outside.
That lasted three practices before Lassiter started covering Nico Collins and Tank Dell in practice. The rest was history en route to record-setting numbers this fall.
“The rookie was tops in the league under those parameters with a 43.7 completion percent allowed and a -12.8 completion percentage over expected,” Prata wrote. “If advanced metrics aren’t your thing, the rookie also had four INTs and 12 passes defended in 16 games. With Lassiter and Stingley, DeMeco Ryans has a lockdown duo at his disposal.”
In 16 games —including playoffs — Lassiter totaled 64 tackles, four interceptions and 12 pass breakups.