The Houston Texans made another interesting pickup for their defensive side of the ball across last week, amid their signing of former Indianapolis Colts linebacker E.J. Speed to a one-year deal.
Bringing Speed into the fold effectively adds another dose of firepower into the defensive side of the ball for Houston, implementing a versatile linebacker for DeMeco Ryans' already strong unit, and potentially taking this group to another level for the 2025 year ahead.
And when asking Speed himself, it's safe to say the Texans linebacker has sights set on a big-time first season in Houston.
During an interview with NFL insider Aaron Wilson, Speed revealed one of his major team goals for the year ahead: leading the league in turnovers as a defense.
"I want to have the most turnovers as a defense in the league," Speed said. "I feel like if we get the ball back into C.J.'s hands and [Joe] Mixon’s hands, we can win games.”
It's hard to say the goal is out of the realm of possibilities, either. Last season, the Texans' defense was 5th in the league for turnovers forced at 29 total, 19 of those being interceptions and 10 being fumbles.
Now with the Texans adding a few more impact players to the defense, one of those being Speed, there's still room for growth on that side of the ball, especially when it comes to generating turnovers for the offense. Last season, it was the Pittsburgh Steelers who led the league in forced turnovers at 33.
Speed joins the Texans' front seven coming off a year in which he was a significant factor in the Colts' linebacker core. He finished his 2024 campaign with a career-high 142 combined tackles, seven TFLs, five passes defended, and one interception within his 15 appearances, all of which he started in.
Speed will likely emerge as a primary option in the Texans' linebacker core across next season, perhaps as a Week One starter as a piece in their front seven group. Time will tell if the investment will pay off for Houston, but it's clear the former Colt is eager to get off to a hot start in his new situation.
