The Houston Texans are turning to George Odum, pushing themselves closer to making a final decision on the All-Pro special teamer and veteran safety.
“#Texans practice squad elevation for former All-Pro #Colts #49ers special teams ace George Odum for #Bengals game, per a league source,” KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson reported on X on September 19. “Odum had a tackle vs. #Bills and played 71 percent of the special teams snaps.
“Has 205 career tackles, three interceptions, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries.”
Odum is a former undrafted free agent with First and Second Team All-Pro honors to his credit, one each with the Colts and 49ers, respectively.
Odum is in his ninth NFL season. He has tallied 209 total tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions, and 2 fumble recoveries, starting 12 of his 109 games played. The Texans will obviously turn to him for his special teams prowess.
Texans Turning to George Odum Again
Caleb Bullock and Reed Blankenship are both healthy. Nevertheless, having Odum on board is a benefit to the Texans, who experienced several injuries at the position last season.
Pro Football Focus graded Odum 26th out of 29 players on special teams for the Texans in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills, a 36-31 Houston loss. But, aside from being polarizingly subjective, PFF only shows his overall grade and now how he fared in individual phases.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans clearly believes Odum did just fine.
Ryans lauded Odum’s playmaking during the preseason, noting that was how guys did themselves favors ahead of roster cuts.
Texans Running Out of Options With All-Pro
The Texans still cut Odum, but they re-signed him to their practic squad. This is his second practice squad elevation. So, Odum can get called up one more time. After that, the Texans will have to sign him to the 53-man roster or find another option instead.
Their current process suggests the former could be coming down the pipeline.
After the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2, the Texans will take on one of their AFC South rivals, the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3 in what could be the final call-up for Odum.
Texans Adding Two-Time All-Pro ‘Ace’ for Bengals Game