The Houston Texans have filled the void left on the roster amid Henry To’oTo’o’s shoulder injury, tapping young veteran Jamal Hill.
“#Texans signing linebacker Jamal Hill to 53-man roster, from the practice squad, per a league source. Veteran starter Henry To’oTo’o headed to injured reserve, per a league source, with injured left shoulder to sideline him for roughly two months,” KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson reported on X on September 15.
“Hill, a converted safety and former sixth round pick from Oregon with 4.45 speed, has recorded 10 career tackles, one forced fumble.”
The Texans drafted Hill, taking him 188th overall in 2024.
Texans Replace Starter With ‘Converted Safety’ Jamal Hill
Hill’s athleticism was a key part of his appeal coming into the 2024 draft before the Texans took a flier on him. That could pay off amid the Texans’ current injury woes.
“The former safety turned linebacker’s speed at Oregon’s pro day will catch the attention of scouts. Predictably, the tape shows mental errors and issues reading keys that might be expected from a newcomer to the position. His burst allows him to make up for missteps, and he can run down backs before they turn the corner,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in 2024.
“Needs to improve at block take-ons but is a sound tackler in space. Hill can cover man to man, has untapped blitz potential and can step into kick coverage quickly. He’s raw but flashes and might be worth a late-round pick to stash and develop.”
He earned strong comments from Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans during the preseason.
“Jamal has continued to grow throughout this entire time that he’s been here. Learning the linebacker position, and I think he’s picked it up really well,” Ryans told reporters in August. “We had a walkthrough the other day, and just to hear how he was communicating. He was loud, he was on it, he was concise. I was proud of the growth that I’ve seen from him.
“Tonight he made some plays. There in the end zone, getting the ball out. So, he’s made some plays, and he’s flying around making plays on special teams as well. But I’m proud of Jamal’s growth.”
Jamal Hill Fits What Texans Want
Now, Hill gets an opportunity to prove his worth even further. Notably, Texans fourth-round pick Wade Woodaz, who could be in line to start in To’oTo’o’s place, is also a converted safety.
That is what the Texans are looking for.
“The scheme that we run, the linebacker– especially in the cover four system, this scheme–you might as well be playing man coverage,” Texans starter Al-Shaair said on the “Green Light” podcast on September 4, noting his responsibility is “whoever the No. 3 is” for the opposing offense on a play.
“You have an extremely challenging job. You look at guys who play in this scheme; somebody like Fred [Warner]. There’s not many guys who can own the middle in that way, and have to cover, and be able to play the run. So, you have to be extremely athletic. You have to be physical still. And when you look at other schemes, they’re not asking the MIKEs to run with anybody. You’re really just kind of just that low-hole guy, just making tackles in between the hashes, and stuff like that. Where, with our scheme you’re basically like a glorified safety.”
Texans Sign Converted Safety to Fill Void at Injury-Riddled Position