Keke Coutee

Coutee had been in former head coach Bill O'Brien's doghouse, deservedly so, since the beginning of the 2019 season. He ran afoul of the coach over ball-handling issues and an inability to stay healthy, prompting O'Brien to use journeymen wideouts instead of a player Houston thought highly enough of to draft in the fourth round in 2018. Coutee was inactive for eight of the first nine games in 2020 before a Randall Cobb injury in Week 10. It was about that time that Will Fuller was suspended for performance-enhancing drugs, and Coutee suddenly was needed. He responded by catching 31 of 38 targets and three touchdowns over the final seven weeks. However, Coutee was waived by the Texans during roster cut-downs in August.

Coutee has fallen far since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. After an injury-marred rookie season, during which he was productive when on the field, Coutee was poised to be the Texans' top slot man in 2019, but an injury slowed him during preseason. Then it was mistakes, both physical and mental, that led to the 23-year-old being a healthy inactive and eventually falling behind DeAndre Carter on the depth chart. Coutee had just nine catches (14 targets) over the final nine weeks of the season. Houston's offseason shakeup at wide receiver is not expected to benefit Coutee, who enters training camp as the backup slot receiver to Randall Cobb.

The 103rd overall pick in the 2018 draft, Coutee showed more than a few signs he'll be a keeper for the Texans. After missing the season's first three games with a hamstring injury, Coutee debuted with a 15-11-109-0 line and followed that up with 7-6-51-1 the following week. But he aggravated the injury a couple weeks later and missed the two games before a Week 10 bye. Coutee then had a 9-5-77 showing against the Redskins in Week 11 before aggravating the injury again Week 12 against the Titans and getting shut down for the rest of the regular season. He then returned for a playoff loss to the Colts with a monster 14-11-110-1 performance. In other words, Coutee was a frequent target and reliable producer more often than not when he was on the field. All told, Coutee's per-play efficiency was below average - only 10.3 YPC and 7.0 YPT, i.e., his production was due mostly to volume as Will Fuller was out for the year, and the Texans needed to throw to someone other than DeAndre Hopkins. At 5-11, 180, Coutee is small but also fast - 4.43 40 - and quick enough to operate out of the slot. A preseason ankle injury that threatens his Week 1 availability prompted the Texans to trade for Kenny Stills from Miami, so there will be more competition at slot receiver than originally anticipated at the start of camp. The Texans rarely throw to their running backs and don't have a reliable tight end, so most of Deshaun Watson's throws should be divided between the wideouts, leaving plenty to go around even with Hopkins on the team.

Coutee is a 2018 fourth-round draft pick who figures to challenge immediately for a role in the return game and could push Braxton Miller aside on the wideout depth chart. At 5-11, 180 pounds, he profiles as a slot receiver and is electric in the open field. Coutee averaged 92.8 yards per game and 15.7 yards per catch while catching 17 touchdowns over the last two years at Texas Tech. The former Red Raider will be working directly with fellow alumnus Wes Welker, an offensive/special teams assistant coach. He was expected to get heavy run in the preseason as a slot receiver, but a hamstring injury could end his bid for the No. 3 role before it ever really took off.