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DJ Bien-Aime, ESPN
HOUSTON — Pending free agent Blake Cashman‘s breakout season came at a valuable time for him and the Houston Texans.
The linebacker led the team in tackles (106 in 14 games) and helped turn around a struggling defense that made it to the playoffs and won the AFC South for the first time since 2019.
The Texans went from one of the league’s worst in points allowed (27th) to 11th, and Cashman’s season included earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week 6 and a league-high of 19 tackles in Week 11.
Cashman, 27, found ways to ease his mind — like reading — to help him grow on and off the field into the player and person he is today, and with the new league year and free agency officially starting, he says he hopes his play will speak for itself.
He would love to return to Houston, but if that isn’t in the cards, there will be plenty of suitors.
“I’m excited to hear what different teams have to say, and hopefully the Texans come back and have a good conversation with me,” Cashman told ESPN. “There’s a lot to look forward to — whether that be in Houston or another team. I’m excited for my greatest opportunity I’ve had in my entire football career. I hope to walk in and be looked at and valued as a guy who will be a starting linebacker.”
The Texans have the cap space ($67 million) to potentially retain Cashman, but they also have a league-high 30 free agents.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio traded a 2023 sixth-round pick to the New York Jets for Cashman in 2022, and he played 16 games but started only one under former coach Lovie Smith.
“I think [Cashman]’s role has kind of grown sort of incrementally each year,” Caserio said. “Traded for him with the idea that [he] would have an impact in the kicking game, which he has. When he’s had the opportunity to play on defense, he’s been impactful.”
First-year coach DeMeco Ryans took over last offseason and employed a scheme Cashman was familiar with from his time under Jets coach Robert Saleh, who runs the same defense as Ryans (the two coaches worked together in San Francisco).
“Blake has done a great job with all of the things we’ve asked him to do,” Ryans said. “He’s done a good job of communicating, done a good job of being able to play multiple spots — just create value for himself. Being versatile helps a lot.
“He’s done a great job for us on special teams, being one of our leaders in that regard. … He’s done a good job all year.”
Before arriving in Houston, injuries plagued Cashman’s career in New York. He played in 11 games in his first two seasons before going into his final year with the Jets. He longed to finally be healthy and put a good product on tape because he understood the “business” of Year 3 — which he says “carries a lot of weight for a future deal.”
Unfortunately for Cashman things didn’t go his way. He was sidelined with a hamstring injury in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers that held him out for three games before returning against the Atlanta Falcons. In the next game against the New England Patriots, Cashman would suffer a groin injury and be placed on season-ending injured reserve.
He would finish the 2021 season with just three tackles.
“I felt like I wasn’t being myself because I was so angry about my situation,” Cashman said. “I just found myself every day going into the building, doing my rehab and having this crabby attitude. I was just snappy if I didn’t agree with something in my rehab schedule.
“Every time I felt I was getting the opportunity I was working toward, I was getting set back with an injury. I was asking God ‘Why?'”
Bryce Bevill, one of the Jets’ player development staff members, noticed Cashman’s attitude and urged him to visit the team’s therapist, Dr. Derek Suite.
“The first session was very positive,” Cashman said. “I started expressing how I was feeling, and I told [Suite] I didn’t like being upset every day and the hardest part was knowing it’s out of my control, but I was still allowing that to affect me. He just was very encouraging. And when we got done with that first meeting, it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.”
Those sessions altered Cashman’s mindset, and he started reading books about the mind. He began with “The Untethered Soul: The Journey beyond Yourself” by Michael Alan Singer.
Through the reading, he learned to discard negative thoughts by telling himself to “let it go.” He carried that to Houston, and he continued to read to soothe his soul and have by far the best season of his career in 2023.
In Week 3 against the reigning division champion Jacksonville Jaguars, Cashman secured his first career interception. The formation looked familiar from game planning and he knew what to expect.
Ryans called a “fire zone,” where the Texans blitzed and played zone in coverage. Cashman dropped into his zone and followed wide receiver Jamal Agnew. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw the ball under pressure to Agnew, but Cashman was able to make the play.
“We actually worked those concepts a lot throughout the week, so hats off to our coaches for understanding and knowing what you know Jacksonville was going to throw at us,” Cashman said. “I knew with the pressure the ball had to come out soon. So I took two peeks back at the quarterback, and I saw Agnew break in on a dig. I just planted off my right foot and was able to make a good play on the ball.”
It was his lone interception, but Cashman’s pass coverage was a strength for the Texans. He allowed the fourth-lowest passer rating among linebackers with at least 200 coverage snaps when targeted (74.7) and had a tight window coverage percentage of 13.3% (10th).
Cashman was finally able to shake the injury bug as well, playing 30 regular-season games in Houston and finishing with 14 tackles, 3 for a loss, and a sack in two playoff games.
“Cash has done a lot of great things for us,” Caserio said. “We’ll work through the process. If we have the opportunity to bring him back, I think he’ll have a good role on the team.”
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