Shaquill Griffin Strives To Return To Pro-Bowl Form With Texans

After a back injury led to an early exit from the Jaguars, veteran cornerback Shaquill Griffin is striving to return to his Pro-Bowl form with the Houston Texans.

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans have won seven games over the previous two seasons. But despite their on-field struggles, Houston has always found solace in its secondary.

The defensive backfield has arguably been the Texans' best position group. Houston has ranked near the top half of the league in takeaways since 2021 with 52 — the secondary accounted for 25 takeaways with 11 interceptions. 

With second-year prospects Jalen Pitre and Derek Stingley Jr., Houston's defensive back showcased their potential during its two-day mandatory minicamp. And due to the acquisition of veteran Shaquill Griffin, his motivation to return to his former self could help enhance Houston's secondary reach new heights.

"I feel like the main thing he [DeMeco Ryans] is trying to accomplish with our position, he’s trying to get the corners in a position to really go for that ball," Griffin said. "The main thing is to create turnovers and get that ball back to our offense, and they put us in a great situation and a great scenario to be able to do that this year."

Griffin can bring a new dynamic to the Texans' defense. At his peak, he was a Pro Bowl cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks in 2019. But since his career season, injuries have hampered Griffin's play. 

Last season a back injury limited him to five games with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had surgery after sustaining the injury during a Week 6 contest against the Indianapolis Colts. The surgery left Griffin unable to work out while watching his team "grind it out every day," which resulted in the Jaguars' first postseason berth since 2017. 

And after signing a three-year contract to join the Texans' AFC South divisional rivals in 2021, the Jaguars released him in March.

Griffin said several teams showed interest in him during free agency, but he chose the Texans after the franchise "felt like home" during his visit. He also fell fond of the Texans due to his understanding of Ryans' defensive scheme and ability to make an immediate impact. 

Griffin revealed Wednesday afternoon that the Minnesota Vikings was one of several teams that showed interest in him during free agency.

"I feel like the change-up excites me the most," Griffin said. "I feel like we’ve got a lot of stuff in our bag to be able to change things up, especially to be able to adapt to any situation. But, number one would be, being in Seattle, I’m definitely familiar with that whole process on how they run their system. So, that kind of makes a lot of things in adjusting really easy for me. So, I love that part."

Griffin believes each defensive back within the Texans' secondary is hungry and brings energy, which he describes as contagious. 

He is on board with helping the Texans enter the next phase of their ongoing rebuilding project. But Houston's mentality within the defensive backfield has helped Griffin reclaim his movements, strength and mindset — which he describes as "a blessing." 

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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