Safety A.J. Moore has been a special teamer for the majority of his 32 games with the Houston Texans.
However, the former 2018 undrafted free agent is taking the next step in his development in year three with the Texans, and it could lead to more snaps on defense.
“There’s a lot of guys like this but A.J. plays with a lot of energy,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “He does whatever you ask him to do. He puts the team first. He’s definitely DTS. He’s dependable, he’s tough, he’s smart. He has a really good role on our football team. He’s improved on defense. He’s improved on special teams. He’s a fun guy to coach.”
In the scrimmage at NRG Stadium, Moore collected a sack, two pass breakups, and an interception. The former Ole Miss product has “always been good,” according to O’Brien, and one of the reasons he is essential to their roster is his personality.
“He’s got really good personality,” O’Brien said. “You know, he’s got a personality that people are drawn to and he just has a lot of fun playing. He’s just a guy that he’s in heaven when he’s playing football. He’s made a lot of plays and the guys enjoy playing with him and he enjoys playing on this team.”
The Texans have another third-year safety in Justin Reid who is one of the “elder statesmen” on the back end with 31 games for Houston under his belt. The defending AFC South champions will be relying on free agents Jaylen Watkins and Eric Murray to shore up their secondary, as well as Moore.
“I think he’s always been good,” O’Brien said. “He just plays with a lot of passion, a lot of energy. He’s a smart player. He loves football.”
Moore has played 671 snaps on special teams in his career and only 20 on defense, all in 2019. The 5-11, 200-pound safety could start to see more balance with those snaps in 2020.
