"Low-Risk, High-Reward": Retaining Safety Jonathan Owens Crucial for Texans?

Texans safety Jonathan Owens is not your typical starting defensive back.

After going undrafted in 2018, the 5-11 Missouri Western product signed and played his first snaps for Houston in 2019 after a short stint with Arizona, and has been with the Texans ever since — a decent tenure for a struggling team with constant turnover.

And now, entering his sixth year as a free agent, CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin says that Owens’ time as a Texan cannot stop just yet.

Owens, 27, is an intriguing low-risk, high-reward safety, however, after a fifth-year breakout as a full-time starter. His 125 tackles ranked second on a young but occasionally feisty defense.

In his first two years with the Texans, Owens saw the field a total of seven games but went without a tackle for each one. 

During the 2021 season, however, Owens saw a major increase in playing time — earning his first two starts, recording his first career interception, amassing 17 tackles and even getting additional snaps on the special teams unit during his time in Houston.

Owens was promoted to a full-time starter in 2022, where he was second in tackles on the team, first being rookie safety Jalen Pitre. Together, the safety duo led the Texans' defense unit, which is expected to improve further with the arrival of coach DeMeco Ryans.

So, with expectations high for the Texans defense under its new coach, keeping Owens around likely will prove to be essential during the offseason, as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2023.

Luckily for Houston, his loyalty to the team since 2019 may play a role in his decision to stay, especially with an incoming top draft pick and a defensive-minded coach running the sidelines.