The Texans have their $54 million linebacker, and now Azeez Al-Shaair has picked up a different kind of label too.
ESPN slotted Al-Shaair at No. 6 among the NFL’s best off-ball linebackers, and one personnel evaluator gave him a nickname that fits the edge he brings to Houston’s defense: “He's the Dennis Rodman of linebackers,” an NFL personnel evaluator said. “He gets in everyone's head. He can run all day and can play every down.”
That reputation comes on the heels of the best season of Al-Shaair’s career. The seven-year veteran earned his first Pro Bowl nod last season after piling up 103 tackles and breaking up nine passes. For a player who had struggled to get much recognition before then, the attention finally caught up once he became part of one of the league’s most physical defenses.
“The veteran linebacker wasn't a factor in previous rankings,” Jeremy Fowler wrote. “But after embodying Houston's ultra-physical defense and landing a three-year, $54 million deal, league-wide recognition followed. Al-Shaair appeared on all but one ballot.
“Al-Shaair's nine passes defended last season were the most for a Texans player with 100 tackles since Brian Cushing had 10 in 2009. The Texans don't blitz often due to their vaunted pass rush, allowing Al-Shaair to patrol the middle of the field for one of the league's best defenses and clean up in the run game.”
There’s also a clear reason he stands out on film. One NFL coordinator described him as “specialized by scheme a bit, but he's explosive and good in coverage.”
And according to Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke, the violence in Al-Shaair’s game is part of what makes him so effective.
“He has a real ability to uncoil in a short space,” Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke says. “He does it at a high speed of approach, and that’s where you see a lot of those big collisions. That’s part of his superpower.”
The Texans, for their part, are fully on board. General manager Nick Caserio pointed to both the way Al-Shaair plays and the way he carries himself away from the field.
“When he’s on the field, he plays the way (head coach) DeMeco (Ryans) wants the team to play,” GM Nick Caserio said. “And when he’s off the field, he represents the organization the way the McNair family wants to be represented. I would say that’s kind of rare.”
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