Keke

Coutee

Coutee was signed by the Dolphins just days after he was released by the Saints. A veteran receiver of the Texans, Coutee has 85 career receptions for 966 yards and four touchdowns and should have a chance to catch on with a wide receiver-needy team now that he’s back on the market. In addition to Coutee, the Dolphins also waived LB A.J. Johnson, LB Mitchell Agude, QB James Blackman, DT Josiah Bronson, DE Randy Charlton, WR Chris Coleman, LB Aubrey Miller, LB Garrett Nelson, S Keidron Smith, OT James Tunstall, DT Jaylen Twyman, and DE Jamal Woods.

The 2018 fourth-round pick spent the last two years with the Colts, appearing in 10 games and playing 34 snaps on special teams. Coutee’s release likely locks WRs Bryan Edwards and James Washington into roster spots.

Coutee has not received any public interest up until this point in the offseason. He has played the last two years with the Colts after three with the Texans and has caught exactly one pass in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The Packers are not signing him at this point, per Aaron Wilson, but are interested in his “versatility.”

Coutee has been a game-day inactive for each of the previous two contests and will retreat to street clothes once again in Week 13. There simply isn’t a requirement for his services will all of Michael Pittman, Parris Campbell, Alec Pierce, and Ashton Dulin healthy, who were the only wide receivers to see snaps last week. Most notably, tight end Jelani Woods is active and will play after a breakout performance in Week 13.

The Colts have also signed CB Anthony Chesley, DE Kameron Cline, OT Shon Coleman, TE Farrod Green, WR De’Michael Harris, TE Michael Jacobson, LB Malik Jefferson, QB James Morgan, OL Carter O’Donnell, S Will Redmond, CB Chris Wilcox, DT Chris Williams, and TE Eli Wolf to reserve/future contracts. Coutee was waived by the Texans ahead of the 2021 season. The Colts added him to their practice squad shortly after he was cut. Coutee appeared in two games for Indy, catching one pass for five yards.

The former Texans slot wideout hooks on with the team he did the most damage against. In four games against the Colts, Coutee has 27 catches for 328 yards and a touchdown. Coutee is no lock to be elevated to the roster, but he profiles as a new Parris Campbell backup in the slot if it happens.

With one of the NFL’s worst receiver groups, the Texans curiously parted ways with Coutee, an electric slot wideout when healthy. Coutee averaged 72 receiving yards per game over Houston’s final five games with Will Fuller on suspension. He ended the season with a 90-yard performance against the Titans. Coutee seemed like a lock to make the team’s 53-man roster after Houston parted with slot WR Randall Cobb last month. He’s going to be hotly pursued by other, more competent NFL teams.

With that effort, Coutee heads into the offseason averaging 72 yards in five games following Will Fuller’s suspension. It was 55 in four if you throw out Coutee’s 141-yard Week 13, but there is no justification for doing that. A member of Bill O’Brien’s enemies list, Coutee has proven he is much more than a healthy scratch, and at the very least a productive No. 4 wideout who could be a No. 3 if he can stay healthy. That has always been the problem for Coutee through his first three years in the league. Headed into the final year of his rookie contract, the receiver corps 24-year-old (in 11 days) Coutee is in now could look dramatically different by May, making forecasting difficult. Fuller is a free agent, for instance.

Coutee was on the injury report with a foot issue last week but caught all five of his targets for 54 yards against the Bengals and should be fine as a WR3/4 for Week 17 against the Titans.

It was a typical game for Coutee, who had a 5/53/1 line last week. Coutee is locked in as the Texans’ No. 2 receiver with Will Fuller and Randall Cobb sidelined, but it hasn’t led to more than low-end WR3 production. Coutee and the Texans will close out the regular season against the Titans in Week 17.