Defensive end Angelo Blackson produced 1.0 sack and 24 combined tackles along with a tackle for loss in his 16 games for the Houston Texans in 2018. Blackson’s efforts were enough that the club felt confident to let defensive lineman Christian Covington walk in free agency and later cut Joel Heath at the end of preseason.
However, for defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, Blackson has to continue to elevate his play in order to keep seeing the playing field.
“He came on last year toward the middle of the season and started performing pretty consistently,” Crennel told reporters Thursday. “He’s a big body, he has some length, and when he’s disciplined in his technique, he makes plays and he helps the defense. That’s what we’ve seen and that’s why he’s getting that opportunity.”
Blackson started in four games, and his job in 2019 should have some of the same advantages that it did in 2018 playing across from defensive end J.J. Watt. The nature of the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year earning 16.0 sacks, declaring to the world that he’s back, could mean more double teams for Watt and even more one-on-one opportunities for Blackson.
“Everybody who gets that opportunity got to take advantage of it, and if he does then he’ll keep starting, if not then we’ll put somebody else in,” said Crennel.
The former 2015 Tennessee Titans fourth-round pick came to Houston in 2017, where he has collected 1.0 sack, 33 combined tackles, four pass breakups, a fumble recovery, and a tackle for loss in 25 games, five of which he started.
