HOUSTON – The Texans have agreed to terms on a one-year extension with veteran linebacker and special-teams standout Blake Cashman, according to league sources.
The contract is worth nearly $2 million and has a maximum value of $2.3 million, per an NFL source.
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Cashman is now under contract through the 2023 season.
Cashman is represented by veteran agent Blake Baratz of Team IFA.
Acquired in a trade from the New York Jets in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick this offseason, Cashman, 26, is the first player the Texans have negotiated an extension for during the season.
A former Jets fifth-round draft pick from Minnesota, Cashman has emerged as a valuable asset in kick coverage and on defense since joining the Texans. Cashman has battled some injuries, but, when healthy, he has been consistently productive.
“Wouldn’t say it comes out of nowhere from the special teams,” Texans special teams coordinator Frank Ross said of Cashman earlier this season. “I’ve had my eye on that guy for a while. Definitely an exciting player and hoping everything I can do to get him better.
“Done a great job of taking the playbook, trying to apply what I’m asking him to do, the calls we’re making. But on top of that, the guy can run. So, hopefully, he’s using all of our fundamentals and techniques and then playing with those explosive traits that’s in his body when it’s time to go out there and make the plays.”
Cashman (6-foot-1, 237 pounds) is one of the fastest linebackers on the roster with 4.50 speed in the 40-yard dash and had a 37 1/2 inch vertical leap at the 2019 NFL scouting combine.
The Eden Prairie, Minnesota native has started one of 10 games played this season and has recorded 13 tackles, two quarterback hits, one sack and one pass defensed.
Cashman has started eight of 24 career games and has 62 career tackles, six for losses, five quarterback hits and 1 1/2 sacks.
Cashman has played 94 defensive snaps overall this season, 14 percent of the defensive snaps and 73 percent of the special-teams snaps as a core contributor in the kicking game.
Cashman was a second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection at Minnesota.
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to KPRC-2 and click2houston.com.