Tyrell Adams was an undrafted free agent who caught on with the then Oakland Raiders in 2016. From there he worked his way to the Texans roster, and after bouncing around the practice squad for two seasons, he found his way into the starting lineup last season.
Benardrick McKinney made it through four games last season before exiting the fray because of shoulder surgery. McKinney was shelved for the rest of the season. Adams picked up where he left off. In his absence Adams started 12 games next to Zach Cunningham, and had 2 sacks, 125 total tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 3 quarterback hits, and 2 sacks.