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The Houston Texans locked up one of their key defensive players in linebacker Benardrick McKinney last week. Needless to say, head coach Bill O'Brien is excited about what he is bringing to the table this season.
McKinney has played a major role in the Texans' defense for quite some time now. However, O'Brien says McKinney is looking better than ever, via Deepi Sidhu of the team's official website:
Article Continues Below“He’s probably – I don’t want to speak for him – but when you look at the numbers, you look at his body comp numbers, his weight room numbers, he’s probably in the best shape of his career. It shows out here on the field.”
It is encouraging to see McKinney has seemingly kicked things up a notch this offseason. Then again, he had good reason to after signing a lucrative five-year, $50 million extension this offseason.
The Texans selected McKinney in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. The former Mississippi State product has brought plenty of stability to Houston's linebacker corps. He even earned second-team All-Pro honors for his stellar 2016 campaign. He is coming off another stellar year after registering a team-high 95 tackles, 3.0 sacks, and a forced fumble.
As the MIKE backer, McKinney plays perhaps the most vital role in the defense. Aside from his physicality, he has emerged as a capable leader. However, he should have his work cut out for him in training camp given all the new changes to the defense. Fortunately, O'Brien is confident that McKinney is more than up to the task.
