‘Ballhawk’ rookie safety Calen Bullock intercepts first pass in up-and-down day for Texans’ secondary in win over Colts

INDIANAPOLIS – Calen Bullock read the eyes and intentions of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson as he dropped into coverage with his instincts kicking into gear.

They led him in the right direction. The Texans rookie safety dove for an interception in his first NFL game Sunday and provided one of the few bright spots for a secondary that had an up-and-down game with some rough moments on deep balls against a strong-armed former fourth overall pick of the draft.

It was Bullock who shut down Richardson in the red zone by jumping in front of a pass intended for tight end Kylen Granson in the first half of a 29-27 victory.

“I just broke on the quarterback, seen where he was looking and broke on the ball,” said Bullock, a third-round draft pick who intercepted nine career passes at USC and was named Pac-12 Co-Perimeter Defensive Player of the Year. “It means a lot. I’ve dreamed of moments like this since I was a kid and I go out here and get a pick in my first game. I know my mom, she’s probably crying right now.”

At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with 4.48 speed in the 40-yard dash, Bullock is a rangy defensive back with a proven track record for picking off passes.

Signed to a four-year, $5.856 million contract that includes a $1.079 million signing bonus, Bullock was selected 78th overall as Texans general manager Nick Caserio traded up to the Philadelphia Eagles’ original selection in exchange for the 86th and 123rd overall selections.

An All-Pac-12 selection, the native of Pasadena, Calif., intercepted two passes last season and returned one for a touchdown. He had 61 tackles and seven pass breakups

“Oh man, I think he’s a ballhawk,” veteran safety Jimmie Ward said. “I think Nick and (DeMeco Ryans) did a great job of drafting him. He’s going to do what he does best. He’s going to find that ball.”

The Texans earned a win in Bullock and rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter’s first NFL game.

They both recorded two tackles apiece with one pass defensed.

“It means a lot,” said Lassiter, who had a solid game in his first NFL start. “There’s nothing I love more than winning. To get the dub, you can’t put it into words. We’ve been playing football our whole life. It’s taking our game and elevating it at the highest level. We played well, but we’ve got a lot to learn from, myself included.”

While Lassiter started, Bullock substituted for Eric Murray. He’s expected to continue to expand his role going forward.

“Yeah, Kamari did his job,” Ryans said. “Calen did what he’s done every day in training camp. He went and took the football. So, I’m very excited, very pleased with what those two rookies have done for us.”

The Texans had those aforementioned issues in coverage, though, allowing a 60-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Alec Pierce in the first quarter as he got behind Pro Bowl alternate corner Derek Stingley Jr. and Ward. It looked like Stingley expected help over the top, but Pierce simply accelerated behind both defensive backs.

Richardson was just 9 of 19 as he’s still a developing quarterback with accuracy issues who misfired on potential touchdown passes to Adonai Mitchell. He passed for 212 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown to wide receiver Ashton Dulin behind diving linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. And Richardson set up another touchdown with his 57-yard pass to Pierce in the fourth quarter before Ward tackled him at the Texans’ 16-yard line.

“Made plays when we had to, but not good enough,” Ryans said. “Got to eliminate the big plays. That’s when you give up points. When you give up the big plays that equal points. So, overall, we had some good spurts there, good on third down, but just the last one just cannot happen.”

Richardson scored three touchdowns, one on the ground, but was largely contained as a scrambler. He rushed for 56 yards on nine carries while running back Jonathan Taylor, who gained 188 yards in a regular-season finale last season against the Texans, was limited to 48 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries.

“I feel like I had a couple things I could have done better,” Ward said. “I probably could have scored a few times, got to go in the film room and correct. We wanted to make them one-dimensional. We just needed to make more plays on the back end.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.