Brooks

Reed

Reed played in nine games this season, totaling five tackles and a sack. The Cardinals promoted LB Pete Robertson from the practice squad in a corresponding roster move.

Reed was released from the Falcons earlier this week. He’s been a semi-regular starter the last few seasons but never had much of an impact. Reed will give Arizona some pass rushing depth.

Reed started eight games for the Falcons in 2018, notching one sack to go along with a forced fumble. He turns 32 at the end of the month and should find a home as a veteran pass-rusher this offseason.

Reed, the No. 42 overall pick this season, will attempt to fill the shoes of Mario Williams (pectoral). He drew comparisons to Clay Matthews while playing defensive end at Arizona and racked up 15 sacks over his final two seasons. “It’s a great opportunity for him in his young career to step up and be a starter,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said.

McClain seems resigned to the fact that Mario Williams will take the highest offer on the table in free agency. One NFL personnel man tells thesidelineview.com’s Lance Zierlein that the Texans will miss Williams because “people will figure out” Brooks Reed after one season.

There’s a perception around the league that offenses will figure out Reed after one season and that he would be exploited against the run. His playoff performance tells a different story. Reed tied teammate J.J. Watt for the NFL lead in postseason sacks with 3.5 while recording 13.5 tackles as an edge-setting run defender in two games. “With another year under his belt, the sky’s the limit for him,” says Barwin.

First-round rookie Whitney Mercilus has been a standout as well. The Texans’ pass-rushing trio of Reed, Mercilus and Connor Barwin will be just fine without Mario Williams. Throw in disruptive DEs J.J. Watt and Antonio Smith, and Houston should have no problem finishing as a top-10 defense again in 2012.

Reed was added to the injury report on Friday and will be a game-time decision. “Brooks was in a drill, came out of his stance, felt a twinge in his hip and got a sore hip,” said head coach Gary Kubiak. If Reed can’t play, rookie OLB Whitney Mercilus will get the start on the weak side with Connor Barwin moving to the strong side.

Sprinting up the sideline as he covered Joique Bell, Reed pulled up like he had been snipered. It’s extremely bad news for a Texans team that’s come out flat four days after outlasting Jacksonville in overtime. First-round pick Whitney Mercilus is now in the game at outside linebacker. Reed has 10 days to get healthy for Week 13, but it had the looks of a fairly significant injury.

The Texans should be patting themselves on the back for drafting Whitney Mercilus in the first round now, but Reed’s loss will still be felt. Although Reed had just 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the first 11 games, he’s been a quality run defender. Mercilus could potentially impact more games as a pass rusher. On limited snaps, Mercilus has three sacks and two fumbles forced.