The Houston Texans' receiver corps was thrown into flux this season with the DeAndre Hopkins trade. Bill O'Brien shipped his best wideout out of town and added Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb to help fill the void.
Despite the overhaul, one incumbent, Keke Coutee, hopes to build a bigger role in 2020.
"Very hungry, very hungry," Coutee told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. "Not a lot of talking, just ready to work. Results speak for themselves in 2020. I'm just trying to get back to the basics, getting back to what I'm good at and fix the things I need to work on and, most importantly, be ready for the season."
Coutee splashed onto the scene in his 2018 rookie premiere, catching 11 targets for 109 yards. The 5-foot-11 speedster, however, hasn't produced the same impact since. Injuries have relegated him to just 15 games in two seasons. He earned 22 catches for 254 yards and no scores in nine contests last season.
In 2020, the 23-year-old wideout hopes to stay healthy and become an every-game impact player.
"Just to be healthy and be the best teammate I can be this year and just producing where I can," Coutee said. "Just being able to make plays when I'm called upon when the ball is coming my way, that's the best thing I can do to make plays."
With Hopkins gone, the Texans' receiver corps has a cornucopia of questions. Will Fuller is a dynamite burner but has struggled to stay healthy. Likewise, Cooks is talented, but his concussion history remains concerning. Cobb turns 30 in August, and while he's coming off a bounce-back season, questions always persist for aging receivers. Kenny Stills showed flashes in 2019 with four TDs on 40 catches, but his best attributes are somewhat duplicative of Fuller and Cooks. Coutee could fill a role as a slot receiver who can burn and is a bubble-screen threat.
Aside from those players already on the roster, there remains one other player whose presence has loomed larger in Houston recently: Antonio Brown.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Thursday that the Texans were one of a few teams who could be considered in the running to sign Brown -- who faces potential suspension for multiple off-field issues. Later on Thursday, Deshaun Watson responded on Twitter to ex-receiver Chad Johnson's prediction that A.B. would land in Houston. Adding a player like Brown would significantly alter the Texans' receiver makeup if it happened.
