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Former Mississippi State linebacker will see increased role for Texans
By Adam Spencer
Published:
In J.J. Watt, the Houston Texans have a one-man wrecking crew who feeds off of destroying opposing quarterbacks.
But even the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year needs help sometimes.
Teammates Whitney Mercilus (Illinois) and Jadeveon Clowney (South Carolina) haven’t been able to stay healthy in their brief NFL careers, so the Texans may give an increased role to former Mississippi State LB Benardrick McKinney.
According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, Houston coach Bill O’Brien loves the 2015 second-round pick:
“I would say one guy on defense that I haven’t been asked a lot about that I think has really improved during the offseason and was improving at the end of last year is Benardrick McKinney,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “Benardrick McKinney is a guy that really understands our defense well right now. He has got a very unique skill set, can do a lot of different things, not just play inside linebacker. . . . He can help us on special teams. He can help us on third down. He can do a lot of different things for us. So, I think he’s a guy who has improved quite a bit.”
McKinney played in 14 games for Houston last season, starting 11. He made 63 tackles and had one sack.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
