Gervarrius

Owens

Duvernay provides wide receiver depth and will likely compete for a special teams role as a returner. He is not fantasy-relevant. The Bears also signed LS Scott Daly, placed DL Austin Booker on injured reserve with a designation to return, waived LB Carl Jones Jr., signed TE Nikola Kalinic, DB Dontae Manning and S Gervarrius Owens to the practice squad while releasing LS Luke Elkin and DB Mekhi Garner.

Owens (6’0/195) had a tumultuous recruiting process, originally signing with Kansas State but never actually enrolling there and instead became a JuCo All-American. He then signed with Minnesota out of JuCo before finally ending up at Houston. Despite his circuitous route to UH, once on campus, Owens became an immediate starter who went on to start 42 of his 46 appearances over the next four seasons. He broke out in 2021, lining up predominantly at free safety while earning First-Team All-AAC recognition, and backed it up last year with a sparkling 87.2 PFF cover grade. His athleticism checked out in testing, posting a 9.21 RAS with 93rd percentile agility scores. A cornerback all the way through his JuCo stint, Owens shows the ability to stay in phase while chasing receivers downfield with advanced route recognition in zone. He triggers with urgency and has a downhill mentality in run support, but sometimes can over pursue leading to missed tackles. Owens has the traits and cover skills to become a rotational passing down specialist.

Owens (6'2/200) initially signed with Kansas State as a three-star recruit in the 2017 class and subsequently transferred to JUCO program Northeastern Oklahoma A&M after one semester. He resurfaced in the FBS as a JUCO recruit this winter, when he signed with Minnesota. The Gophers have released Owens from his scholarship, facilitating this transfer to Houston. Barring a waiver, he will likely have to sit out the fall campaign in order to satisfy NCAA regulations.

A visit to TCU could also be in the cards, as Owens would love to meet HC Gary Patterson. “I want to look at the atmosphere around the city when I take these visits. You have to make that place a home. I am also looking at the coaching experience,” Owens explained, adding, “My mom always reminds me to look at academics, too.” Rivals’ Bryan Munson noted that the 6-foot-1, 188-pounder’s “film really shows a complete player with the tools that you are looking for.” He believes Houston could have an edge for Owens’ commitment.

Scout.com ranks Owens as the No. 3 safety prospect in the state of Oklahoma. A summertime Memphis commit, he decommitted in October and subsequently took an official visit to Houston. The Cougs were unable to pry him from Bill Snyder’s iron grip in the end. Over the summer Rivals’ Bryan Munson was highly complimentary of the 6-foot-1, 188-pounder’s tape, saying that he saw a “complete player.”