According to PFF, he has graded as the best Cornerback in the NFL this season. There is no doubt he has impressed us based on the eye test but considering the competition he has practically shut down I am alarmed he reportedly turned down a contract extension recently...I think his play deserves a thread because I don't recall a player in the NFL being a near nobody to arguably the best at his position in only a year. Please keep starting AJ and hope he keeps it up!
I started noticing AJ coming on at the end of last year. This year, he's even better. We need to lock him up long term, possibly even more so than Deandre, dare I say it. He's important, because between him, Kareem, and KJ, we can keep those solid three corners even after Joseph retires. Three good corners are important in this day and age.
How much can his value skyrocket if he keeps this up through the year? There's already 11 cb's in the league making over 10m a year.
They probably can't afford him. Cushing will definitely have to be cut. He's gonna demand revis island type of money. Also, not sure Texans will be willing to spend that amount of money when they already have Joseph, Kareem, Kevin Johnson. It wouldn't surprise me if they franchise tag him. Can teams still do that?
I say yes. I like Cushing but he's not the same player he was before the two torn acl injuries. Plus, he's making too much money for his type of production. He can be replaced.
He should...but Uncle Bob has favorites. Kinda what I was getting at. I feel like Cush should've gone a long time ago.
I know the Texans have many flaws and shortcomings. This season is just weird because JJ Watt is out, and Hopkins is struggling due to QB play. Kevin Johnson breaking the same foot he broke last season hurts this team so much because he was starting to come into his own and becoming a really good CB in the NFL. On the other hand, this team have some really bright spots outside of Hopkins and Watt. AJ Bouye showed me last season that he's more capable than people think. I always knew AJ Bouye would always have a roster spot and I knew he had a bright potential. I've seen him play back during his UCF days and he was special. When the Texans brought him in, I knew he would make the roster. AJ has length, speed, quickness, and vertical leap. Those traits are what you look for in CB. This season, even in limited snaps, he clearly outplayed all the other CB on the team. Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson held down the Texans CB position for many years but their time is coming to an end pretty much. This year, K. Jackson and Joseph are struggling, especially Joseph because of his age. AJ Bouye and Kevin Johnson will take over the CB position and be this team's future CB. Kev Johnson and AJ are both young, growing alongside each other, and both have tons of potential to be one of the top CB tandems in the NFL. Another bright spot on this team is the evolution of CJ Fiedorowicz. Since he was drafted, he was mainly a blocker. Since Owen Daniels departure, I have been incredibly frustrated with the Texans TE position. When they drafted CJ a few years ago, I had a bit of hope that maybe he will turn this team's TE position around but he did not. His blocking is good but often times he was nonexistent. I wanted the Texans to draft a new TE in this year's draft but they didn't and I was pretty disappointed because I felt Ryan Griffin and CJ wasn't cutting it. But this season, CJ has looked like a whole new player. He is emerging as a reliable pass catcher. His route running took a big step forward from last year. If he continues this upward path, he will be a special player that can be a reliable starting TE for the Texans for many years. Jadeveon Clowney has really stepped up nicely. Tons of people across the nation had already labeled Clowney as a bust. There was an article on Clowney being the Texans' worst first round draft pick since 2008 where they drafted Duane Brown. Every Texans first round pick since 2008 to 2013 had produced good-great players. So when Clowney was drafted 1st overall in 14, people were already criticizing the pick. Last season was basically Clowney's rookie year and he struggled with consistency and staying healthy. After last season, Clowney had an entire offseason where he was healthy, which allows him to get stronger, work and improve his overall game, instead of spending the entire offseason rehabbing his injuries. That played a major part. On top of that, Clowney is a rare physical specimen that is gifted with elite athleticism. When he first got drafted, I compared him to Lebron James in terms of raw, special and unique athleticism. Both Lebron James and Clowney are rare physical freaks who is gifted with size, strength, power, speed, and explosion. It was just a matter of time until Clowney puts it all together and perform at a high level. I know I write a lot because I love writing and I always have many opinions and ideas I like to share. But yeah, even though this Texans team has many flaws, I am proud to see some of the young players grow and develop into special players. This is to me one of the most exciting parts of the game because its awesome to watch a young player develop and grow into a special player. Like watching JJ Watt, who as a rookie, was projected to be an average player with a high motor, and see him progress and grow into the JJ Watt today. Whitney Mercilus and Deandre Hopkins are the other two players who grew and developed nicely. I think Whitney was more of a surprise because he was highly inconsistent for the first few years but he developed into a really nice player that is a heck of a pass rusher. Now I am excited to watch our young players like Will Fuller, AJ Bouye, Kevin Johnson, Jaelen Strong, Braxton Miller, CJ Fiedorowicz, Tyler Ervin, and even Keith Mumphrey.
Haha, 2 of the 3 listed are pretty poor CBs at this point in their career. There's little chance that Joseph & Kareerm are kept over Bouye - we have a chance to have a Top 10 secondary, assuming we address the secondary in the offseason/draft.
I would be careful paying him too much money. Only one really good season and he was pretty last year. Who know what you will get out of him next year.
I didn't say Duane Brown was a bad pick. I said the article stated that since 2008, the year they drafted Duane Brown, all the way to the year 2013 where they drafted Deandre Hopkins, was all great first round picks. Every single one of those players drafted in the first round by the Texans from 2008-2013 were good-great players and that the year 2014 where they drafted Clowney was their worst first round draft pick.
I doubt AJ Bouye would demand Revis Island type money. He's playing at a high level and he's going to get paid but the Texans will find a way to keep him. Cushing may be cut, maybe... But if the Texans are smart, they will keep Bouye and pair him with Kevin Johnson for the future. Having both young, talented CB growing together in tandem would only build their chemistry and effectiveness. Kevin Johnson and AJ Bouye has a chance to become one of the top CB duos in the NFL. Similar to the Broncos with Talib and Harris Jr. Johnathan Joseph is done with this team, his struggles along with his age does not bold well for him. Last season was his last effective year. There's no way the Texans are keeping Johnathan Joseph over AJ Bouye. I think with Joseph being gone next season, the Texans will operate with 3 CB of Kevin Johnson, Bouye and Kareem. In my opinion, Kareem may not last much longer with this team. The Texans will probably find another young and talented CB through the draft to take over that 3rd CB position. Kareem had a few decent seasons but he's already hit his ceiling. I never been a big fan of Kareem Jackson honestly. He gets burned way too often, and gets flagged at the worst time. He's does not possess the cover skills like the other two young CB, and also he does not possess the length like the other two players.
