ORLANDO, Fla. – One year after the Texans explored signing hard-hitting veteran linebacker Azeez Al-Shairr, he joined the AFC South champions Monday during the first day of the free agent legal tampering period.
The Texans immediately targeted Al-Shaair as a key addition for their revamped front seven, reuniting him with coach DeMeco Ryans after he coached him previously with the San Francisco 49ers.
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This time, the Texans landed the former undrafted free agent from Florida Atlantic after watching him ply his aggressive trade for the Tennessee Titans last season as he finished fifth in the NFL with 163 tackles.
Al-Shaair provides a relentless sideline-to-sideline presence and fills a gap created by former Texans starting linebacker and leading tackler Blake Cashman signing with the Minnesota Vikings.
“Azeez is going to bring a physical style of play to our defense,” Ryans said Monday morning during the NFL owners meetings at the Ritz Carlton. “He’s going to bring leadership. He had a really good season last year for the Titans. So, seeing him two times a year you can see the growth that he has made as a player.”
ORLANDO, Fla. -- #Texans coach DeMeco Ryans on reuniting with linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after team pursued him in free agency last year and coaching him with #49ers @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/rdSjeBoKHO
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 25, 2024
Al-Shaair had two sacks, nine tackles for losses and four pass breakups last season.
Al-Shaair, 26, signed a one-year, $5 million deal last season to join the Titans, boosting his value significantly with one season. Now, he remains in the AFC South division.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- How the #Texans defense-heavy offseason is unfolding, with the big addition of Danielle Hunter, the impact of new running back Joe Mixon and C.J. Stroud in Year 2 with DeMeco Ryans discussing the roster at #NFL owners meetings @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/RiVNkkhHA0
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 25, 2024
A former All-Conference USA selection who went undrafted after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in college, Al-Shaair signed with the 49ers and made the 53-man roster.
The 6-foot-2, 228-pound linebacker has recorded 362 career tackles, two interceptions, 20 tackles for losses and four sacks.
“He played a lot of snaps for them last year,” Ryans said. “He was healthy. We look for him to bring the same thing, bring that intensity, bring that leadership to our team and just be himself and help us to be better”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.