Christian Covington has ascended to the point where he's emerged as a serious contender for a starting job on the Texans' defense.
One year into his NFL career, Covington is competing with Devon Still and several other players for the right defensive end position vacated when Jared Crick signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Denver Broncos.
Drafted in the sixth round last year, the former Rice standout finished his rookie season with two sacks, four tackles for losses, four quarterback hits and eight tackles. Covington displayed flashes of power, versatility and the skill to be disruptive at the line of scrimmage.