A.J. Bouye entered the 2016 season as the 4th cornerback on the Texans depth chart. Injuries meant more playing time and now, this former undrafted free agent is set to sign his first big NFL contract.
And he wants to do it in the place it all started.
“I’ve been through a lot here with the organization, a lot of ups and downs. But they never gave up on me. I’m appreciative of that,” Bouye said on Monday. “Me and the DBs especially were very close. Like I said the day before, I just would like to be back.”
As the team cleaned out their lockers after Saturday’s AFC Divisional Round loss to the Patriots, much of the conversation centered around the future Bouye.
Even head coach Bill O’Brien, who admitted many times on Monday that the team hasn’t started player evaluations, was more than happy to express his desire for Bouye to return.
“I can tell you that we want A.J. Bouye back. He’s one of us,” O’Brien said. “He’s a guy that was undrafted before we got here and when we came here, based on his own work ethic, the coaching from John Butler, the guy has done an excellent job. I mean, I would tell you that just in talking to people around the league that I really trust that I think he’s viewed as a top corner. We really want him back.”
Bouye had a break out 2016 season which saw him continuously prove that he belonged in the league. In fact, that’s his one takeaway from the campaign.
“That I could play. That’s the main thing. That I’m also a team player, that I’m a hard worker,” Bouye said. “Main thing was just to play as many games this season as I can even though I missed like one. Just like I said, just wanted to prove to everybody that I could play.”
The cornerback was signed by the Texans back in 2013 after going undrafted out of Central Florida. Bouye was very frank in saying he’s had ups and downs as a Texan but this season, it was all about getting back to basics.
“In my past here I always looked at everything from an individual standpoint, I was always playing the victim,” Bouye said. “One of the things I had to do was take a step back and realize that it’s more than just me and I was doing more as far as from special teams – doing whatever the coaches asked me to – playing safety, dime backer. At the end of the day, I just wanted to win.”
And win he did, helping the Texans win the AFC South. He took advantage of his opportunity and made the most of it collecting 63 tackles, 16 passes defensed and three interceptions, two of which came in the postseason.
“I was fortunate enough because I had plenty of opportunities in the past and I didn’t capitalize on that so I knew that this was going to be a year that it was all or nothing,” Bouye said. “Just being patient, just taking the coaching from the coaches and from people like J-Jo (Johnathan Joseph) and Kareem (Jackson). Just listening to them, they help me out a lot with everything.”
Bouye is expected to be targeted by several NFL teams, but his first choice would be coming back to the Texans. However, those decisions can wait.
Bouye has other plans now that the season is over.
“I really don’t focus on what’s about to happen or anything like that. After this, I’m going to go pick up my daughter,” Bouye said. “I’m probably going to get away this weekend with my cousin then take my daughter to Atlanta next week. I’m just not focused on that right now. I just want to spend as much time with my family as I can and my daughter now that I have time to and just relax.”
