Garret

Wallow

Sims was signed this offseason and given a chance to earn return duties. An undrafted free agent who broke into the league with Washington in 2019, Sims caught 14 passes for 104 yards with the Steelers in 2022. In addition to Sims, the Texans also waived/released OL Rashaad Coward, CB Jacobi Francis, OT Austin Deculus, OG Keaton Sutherland, LB Garret Wallow, and RB Larry Rountree.

Johnson, who was claimed on waivers, seems to not be completely up to speed with the playbook just yet. Rasheem Green was the only player actually listed on the injury report, with a thigh injury that had him questionable, after the team sent Mario Addison to injured reserve. It’s a little surprising to see the supposed backup quarterback Allen inactive. Wallow, too, seemed to have his backers in the building though he missed plenty of training camp with an injury.

Wallow was talked up by new coach David Culley at rookie minicamp. A college producer, Wallow posted 295 tackles, 32.5 TFLs and 9.5 sacks as a first team All-Big 12 linebacker the last two years. The Texans overhauled at linebacker this offseason, trading Benardrick McKinney for Shaq Lawson, signing Christian Kirksey and moving on from Brennan Scarlett. Wallow should compete at the Will spot in Lovie Smith’s defense.

Wallow (6’2/220) is a former three-star recruit out of New Orleans, LA who was rated as the 65th best safety from the 2017 prep class and ran the 100 meters in 11.30 in high school. One of the most productive players in TCU history, Wallow registered 295 tackles, 32.5 TFL and 9.5 sacks while receiving first team All-Big 12 accolades in each of the last two seasons. The unquestioned leader of the TCU defense, Wallow flashes incredible agility as his 4.12 shuttle (95th percentile) and 6.87 3-cone (94th) indicates. While his 8.13 RAS score is a great mark, Wallow’s 220 pound frame ranks in the bottom nine percentile and limits his ability to take on blocks on the interior. His quickness is exceptional and allows him to circumvent blocks to make plays and his speed allows him to track down ball carriers all over the field. He’s very aggressive in pursuit but sometimes overruns his lanes and takes bad angles. Wallow doesn’t possess natural ball-hawking skills in coverage and struggles to make up ground when he’s chasing. He could be a valued special teams contributor while serving as a backup linebacker.

Wallow (6'2/212) is your typical undersized, coverage linebackers. The type that the NFL is valuing more and more as offenses use more spread and speed. Last year, Wallow allowed just 7.0 yards per catch on his 30 coverage targets. If Wallow continues to dominate against tight ends and running backs in the pass game, he should earn plenty of NFL looks.