The Texans re-signed several of their own pending free agents, but they are adding to their defense with an outside signing. According to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson, the team is bringing in linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (Twitter link). The contract is for two years and $7.5M.
Wilson adds that the deal includes $5M in guaranteed money and can reach a maximum value of $9M. The 27-year-old had a breakout season in 2021, both in terms of playing time and production. Reeves-Maybin played 62% of the team’s defensive snaps after primarily being a special teamer up to that point.
With the increased opportunity, he started 11 of the 15 games he appeared in. The former fourth-round pick totaled 82 tackles and two forced fumbles. That performance gave the Lions incentive to keep him for the future.
“I know he missed a couple of games here due to injury, but when he’s been out there on defense and on special teams, he just, he makes plays,” head coach Dan Campbell said when asked about him. “He’s a football player. And that doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Instead, Reeves-Maybin will head to Houston on a deal roughly three times as lucrative as the one-year extension he signed in Detroit last year. The Lions’ LB corps now consists of Alex Anzalone, Josh Woods and Derrick Barnes at the top of the depth chart.
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