(SportsRadio 610) - The Texans are releasing cornerback Terrance Mitchell after just one season with the team, multiple outlets reported Wednesday.
Mitchell started 13 games and played in 14 for the Texans, who signed him to a two-year, $6.5 million contract last year. His deal included $3 million guaranteed, with a potential out for 2022 to save the team about $3.4 million.
Last season, Mitchell led the Texans in passes defended (10) and was one of 11 players on the team to record an interception. Mitchell's interception was one of four from Ryan Tannehill in a Nov. 21 road win against the Tennessee Titans.
The Texans could be in the market for a cornerback in this year's draft. They have the No. 3 overall pick. While players at the top of the draft are pass rushers and offensive linemen, Houston could look at a cornerback, whether that's picking at No. 3, over trading back for additional picks.
The top cornerbacks in this draft are widely considered to be Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner from Cincinnati and Derek Stingley Jr. from LSU.
Texans head coach Lovie Smith, who was the defensive coordinator last year, was asked at the NFL Scouting Combine last week what they might be looking for in a cornerback this offseason.
"I think like most people, in an ideal world, receivers are getting bigger and bigger, but if you can find a 6 feet corner that is faster than most people, that's pretty special," Smith said. "We put a big emphasis on ball skills. To me the object of the defense is every snap is to score and take the ball away. We put a big emphasis on that, but we won't try to bring anyone in, add them to our mix if they don't like to tackle. We ask our corners to tackle. They have ball skills of course, but it still comes down to whether you can play man coverage a lot. That's a hard guy to find that I'm talking about."