Texans LB Christian Kirksey says new defense fits his skillset

Houston Texans linebacker Christian Kirksey likes the new defense the team is deploying under new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith.

Although Kirksey played for the Green Bay Packers last season and for the Cleveland Browns from 2014-19, and thus has no experience with the Texans’ 3-4 defense form 2011-20, the free agent linebacker nevertheless is enthused about the new 4-3 front Houston will use in 2021.

“When you play linebacker you want to have all the weight on your shoulders, all three linebacker positions,” Kirksey told HoustonTexans.com’s Deepi Sidhu. “You want to make it as easy as possible for the DBs and the linemen to line up and play ball, and we just take the weight from a mental standpoint and moving around.”

Christian Kirksey and LB room are built for Lovie Smith’s defense @Xfinity | #WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/eWLj1mpcQA

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 20, 2021

Kirksey also mentioned that in order to be effective in Smith’s defense, a linebacker has to be athletic and have great endurance.

Said Kirksey: “So, playing in this defense, you got to be athletic, you got to be fast, and you got to run — all those things. You got to have a stamina with it that’s out of this world. So, playing in this defense really fits my type of skill in the locker room, the linebacker room, that have similar skillsets that we go out there and make plays and just run around and have fun. Being a linebacker playing in this defense, you can’t ask for much more than that. So, just go run, hit, and cover.”

Kirksey signed a one-year contract worth $4.5 million to play for the Texans.