As the 2024 season approaches, the Houston Texans have settled on their final roster. However, this week, they added an arm to their aerial arsenal to provide depth at the quarterback position. Kedon Slovis, formerly with the Indianapolis Colts, was signed to Houston’s practice squad.
Slovis is a former BYU Cougar, but before that, he had college stints with both USC and Pittsburgh. In his first year at Southern Cal, he set a freshman record with 3,502 yards, to go along with 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
In five seasons totaled at the NCAA level, he amassed 1,689 passing yards and 80 touchdowns in his career. He went undrafted this offseason and signed with Indianapolis as a ‘street free agent’.
During this preseason with the Colts, Slovis completed 16 of 22 passes for 149 yards. However, he got caught up in a numbers game in Indy, where second-year star Anthony Richardson is expected to start. He will be backed up by proven veteran Joe Flacco, with Sam Ehlinger filling the final spot as the third-stringer.
Slovis is a Versatile Athlete
Even though he went undrafted, Slovis is a very capable athlete. Most observers believe his upside is worth the time and investment for the Texans.
“Despite his up-and-down college career, he isn’t without upside,” writes Chad Porto of the Toro Times. “He has a big arm and can nail receivers downfield. He’s shown to be a gunslinger at times and isn’t afraid to take shots. He’s not just a big arm, as he’s incredibly athletic. He runs a 4.55 40-time, fast enough to be a wide receiver in the NFL. He’s nimble too, having scored very well across his combine outing.”
The DC defenders of the UFL had expressed interest in Slovis, but it appears his career at the pro level will continue in the NFL. At least, for now.
The 2024 Texans Have Postseason Promise
Houston (10-7 in 2023, 1st in the AFC South) will open the season on the road when they travel to Indianapolis to battle the Colts (9-8 in 2023, 3rd in the AFC South). The team enters this season as a dark horse contender for Super Bowl LVII. Last year’s squad made it to the Divisional Playoffs when they were soundly defeated by the Baltimore Ravens, 34-10.
The team loaded up on offseason firepower to help out reigning Rookie of the Year, CJ Stroud. GM Nick Caserio brought in perennial 1,000-yard running back Joe Mixon from the Cincinnati Bengals, as well as veteran Cam Akers to fortify the backfield. Houston also landed playmaking wide receiver Stefon Diggs from Buffalo. With all that firepower, the club looks to take a huge step forward in Stroud’s second year running the Texans’ prolific offense.
“Again, for all the guys we have, talk about playmakers, you talk about all the guys at different positions,” head coach Demeco Ryans said recently. “At the end of the day, all the guys we have, they care about winning. Doesn’t matter who is touching the ball. Who is wide receiver one, how many touches Joe [Mixon] gets. How many touches Dameon [Pierce] gets, It doesn’t matter. I always tell our coaches, what do we need to do that particular week to win the game.”
“That’s what we’ll do. That’s always been my approach, right, to game planning.
What do we need to do this win that particular week.”
Main Image: katie stratman-usa today sports
