After starting more than 100 games over eight seasons at cornerback, Kareem Jackson is transitioning to a new position.
When veteran safety Andre Hal was earlier this month, the Texans looked to their surplus of cornerbacks for candidates to start opposite former Cardinals All-Pro Tyrann Mathieu.
Although Jackson can still moonlight at corner if necessary, he's now viewed , coach Bill O'Brien said last Friday, via the Houston Chronicle.
Houston's first-round pick in the 2010 draft, Jackson found himself sliding down the depth chart with the offseason additions of Aaron Colvin and Johnson Bademosi to go with the re-signing of veteran Johnathan Joseph.
If he can hold off third-round rookie Justin Reid, Jackson figures to enter Week 1 as a starter alongside Mathieu, Joseph, Colvin and fourth-year cornerback Kevin Johnson in a revamped secondary.
Romeo Crennel's defense will enter training camp with a lot of question marks.
Will Jackson pull off a smooth transition? Will potential difference-makers such as Mathieu, edge rusher Whitney Mercilus and three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt recapture form? Can nose tackle D.J. Reader and the linebacker tandem of Benardrick McKinney and Zach Cunningham form the backbone of a shut-down run defense?
If the answer to most of those questions is yes, Houston's defense will have a chance to match or even exceed the 2016 edition that finished the season ranked No. 1 for the first time in franchise history.
