The Houston Texans tried to find a viable complement to Derek Stingley Jr. on the outside of their secondary in free agency and the draft. They pressed their luck in the 2024 NFL Draft by selecting Kamari Lassiter in the second round. Lassiter, a 6’0″, 186-pound cornerback from the Georgia Bulldogs, is considered a little undersized to play the outside, but the Texans took their chances on him.
So far, the experiment has worked out, and the Texans appear to have drafted the right guy. Lassiter has recorded 19 tackles, three pass deflections, and one interception through his first five games. He has allowed eight receptions on 21 targets for 172 yards, one touchdown, and a 64.0 passer rating in coverage h/t Pro Football Reference.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to stay healthy lately and missed last week’s game. He suffered an injury in Week 5.
The Houston Texans rookie suffered an upper-arm injury in Week 5
Kamari Lassiter suffered an apparent shoulder injury in the last defensive drive of their Week 5 23-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills after covering a pass intended for rookie Keon Coleman. Lassiter fell on his shoulder, attempting to make a play on the ball, but managed to finish the game. Tests determined that he had suffered a scapula injury.
He missed their Week 6 41-21 victory over the New England Patriots.
He will miss some more time
According to Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston.com, the Houston Texans expect Kamari Lassiter to miss their Week 7 matchup against the Green Bay Packers, but that’s not all. The Texans expect Lassiter to miss a few more weeks. He should make a full recovery.
“Texans rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter is making progress in his recovery from a scapula fracture that is expected to sideline him at least a few more games, including Sunday’s road game against the Green Bay Packers, according to league sources,” Wilson said.
“Lassiter suffered the scapula injury against the Buffalo Bills and is expected to miss multiple games this month as he recovers from this relatively uncommon shoulder blade issue, according to league sources.”
Who replaces him in the starting rotation?
The Houston Texans expect D’Angelo Ross to replace Kamari Lassiter in the starting rotation. After not participating in any defensive snaps through their first five games of the 2024 season, Ross made his starting debut with the Texans in Week 6. He recorded two tackles and allowed one reception for nine yards h/t PFF.
The Houston Texans defense will have their hands full this week
The Texans’ pass defense will have their hands full against Jordan Love. Love has recovered from his MCL sprain and continues to improve week by week. So far, he has completed 86 out of 146 pass attempts for 1,131 yards, 12 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a 93.7 passer rating in four games.
Their pass defense will have their hands full against the Green Bay Packers’ talented receiving corps as well. Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks (he could miss this week with a shoulder injury) will give them fits. The secondary will definitely miss Kamari Lassiter this week.
