It was a year ago today that Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien had to field questions about then-rookie receiver Keke Coutee’s availability for the club’s preseason opener at Kansas City, and also speak to the nature of Coutee’s hamstring injury.
“He’s dealing with a — I wouldn’t say a serious injury — but he’s got to take some time to get back from it,” O’Brien said. “He’ll be back. He’ll be back eventually. Probably won’t be back for Kansas City, but hopefully after that.”
While O’Brien did not go into detail about the fourth-round pick’s injury, he said the media could “probably figure it out.” As the updated translation of the Latin phrase “Veritatem dies aperit” goes, time is a snitch. Ultimately, Coutee’s hamstring problem was confirmed as he landed on the Texans’ injury report for the first four weeks of the regular season with that injury listed.
The Texans have had eight training camp practices to this point, and Coutee has been available for all of them. It is a promising sign that the injuries of his rookie year are behind him and he can be a reliable target for quarterback Deshaun Watson and also take the pressure off of All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
It can be argued Coutee’s big introduction in Week 4 at the Indianapolis Colts with 11 catches for 109 yards was due to the presence of Hopkins and formidable No. 2 receiver Will Fuller. However, in the wild-card game against the Colts, when Hopkins’ shoulder had locked up, Fuller was recovering from his torn ACL sustained in Week 8, and Demaryius Thomas was two weeks removed from tearing his Achilles, the former Texas Tech Red Raider again hauled in 11 catches for virtually the same yardage — 110 this time — and a touchdown. Coutee proved to be unguardable against the Texans’ biggest challengers in the AFC South.
While the Texans devoted resources to fixing the offensive line in the offseason, so to prevent Watson from ever approaching a league-leading 62 sacks again, perhaps the biggest help so far has been Coutee’s health. If the 5-11, 180-pound receiver is healthy and available, he will be a safety blanket for Watson should he keep facing pressure on drop-backs.
