Houston’s newest veteran may fill major void

By Connor Byrne  |   Monday, July 31, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Houston Texans
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The Houston Texans became one of the few teams unfortunate enough to lose a key player in training camp this past weekend, as No. 2 cornerback DeMarcus Faggins suffered a broken foot. The injury will keep Faggins out 6-10 weeks, which forced the Texans to go out and immediately find an experienced stopgap for the defensive secondary.

It didn't take Houston too much time to sign the 32-year-old Dexter McCleon, who has been an underrated playmaker in his lengthy career. The nine-year veteran is set to become the team's third corner, while four-year man Phillip Buchanon has been elevated into the starting lineup opposite rock-solid No. 1 Dunta Robinson.

Entering his 10th season in the National Football League, McCleon has been a member of only two organizations, demonstrating his ability to impress coaching staffs and stick with teams. The former Clemson Tiger spent the first six years of his career with the St. Louis Rams, helping the team win a Super Bowl in 1999 and an NFC Championship in 2001. During that span of time, the 5-foot-10, 195-pounder intercepted 20 passes, including a career-best eight in the 2000 season.

After his career with the Rams came to its end, McCleon rejoined former St. Louis head coach Dick Vermeil as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Over the course of three seasons with KC, it was evident the defender's skill level had slipped considerably, but he was still better than most. In 40 total games with the Chiefs, McCleon picked off 10 passes - a terrific ratio of one interception per every four contests he played in.

Even though he managed to play in only 11 games in 2005, McCleon still found himself on the receiving end of two opposing quarterbacks' passes.

As a member of the rebuilding Texans, McCleon will serve as a useful on-field instructor to the franchise's younger corners, namely Robinson, Buchanon and Faggins. His 30 career interceptions are a clear indicator that McCleon can make key impacts in the secondary.

It was clear last season that Houston missed veteran leadership in the defensive backfield. By signing McCleon, the team helps to refill the void left by aged playmaker Aaron Glenn, who was released after the 2004 slate.

On a Houston Texans team looking to vastly improve upon its 2-14 mark from last year, there's no question McCleon can play a key role. Even if Faggins comes back on schedule, he'll need some time to break back into the starting lineup, which means the Texans' new veteran will have ample opportunity to convince head coach Gary Kubiak he can still play.

For McCleon, the first order of business, of course, is to make the roster. With plenty of training camp remaining and the entire preseason still on the docket, he'll either impress the coaching staff or completely derail. It will certainly be an interesting story worth paying attention to in the Lone Star State.

--Connor J. Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com

For more on the Texans, visit Realfootball365.com
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