After finishing the 2017 season ranked 24th in the league against the pass, the Houston Texans took steps during the offseason to bolster the secondary.
Houston added safety Tyrann Mathieu and cornerback Aaron Colvin during free agency, and then used draft picks on safety Justin Reid and cornerback Jermaine Kelly.
Colvin, in particular, will be counted on immediately to help the Texans lock up opposing wide receivers, evidenced by his lucrative four-year, $34 million deal with $18 million guaranteed.
He now earns a starter's salary after spending the past season as the third cornerback behind Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Colvin is ready to prove he is worth every dollar of his contract.
"No question, it's kind of past talking for me right now," Colvin said, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. "It's something burning inside me. I can't really explain, but I'll wake everybody up this year."
On his new team, Colvin projects to continue contributing inside and outside, but the bulk of his work should be on the edges.
And he welcomes the challenges that come with the responsibility of going against some of the league's top wide receivers.
"Truthfully, I did want to play some outside," Colvin said. "It's about winning my one-on-ones. It gives myself the best chance to make a play."
The Texans' defense would benefit if Colvin lives up to his contract.
Colvin, who enters his fifth season, joins a cornerback group currently consisting of Kelly, Johnathan Joseph, Kevin Johnson, Johnson Bademosi, Josh Thornton, Dee Virgin and rookie Andre Chachere.
