NFL: Each Team’s Biggest 2015 X-Factor

Aug 15, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans safety Rahim Moore (26) tackles against San Francisco 49ers running back Jarryd Hayne (38) in a preseason NFL football game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Houston Texans FS Rahim Moore

Rookies Kevin Johnson and Jaelen Strong are strong candidates here, and fellow wide receiver Cecil Shorts could be an important player for the Texans offense if he’s able to have a bounce-back season. I’ll go with Rahim Moore, though, mostly because of the implications for the Texans if he can have a solid year at the free safety position in 2015.

Last year, the Texans forced the most turnovers in the NFL (34), receiving a combined ten turnovers forced from the safety duo of Kendrick Lewis and D.J. Swearinger. Both players are starters elsewhere, and while they were inconsistent and liabilities in coverage, their playmaking spark will be missed.

Enter Moore. Known by some as an emerging ball-hawk after picking off a career-high four passes last season for the Denver Broncos, he is an upgrade in coverage on Lewis at free safety, mainly because Lewis is just too slow to be a real FS. If Moore can have a solid season, then that could bode well for everyone in front of him, particularly the standout cornerback trio of Kareem Jackson, Johnathan Joseph, and Johnson.

The Texans signed him to a three-year deal worth $12 million, which is a pretty good get when you consider that he was the top FS available after Devin McCourty opted to re-sign with the New England Patriots. Moore is not a game-changer and isn’t a true center-fielder, but he’s better than what Houston had.

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