As veterans around the league continue to draw interest in advance of training camp, Ronald Darby is generating a look from the Texans. Houston is hosting the veteran corner on a workout today, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). 
Darby spent the past two seasons in Denver, but like in his previous stops, he was unable to remain healthy for a full campaign in either instance. He was limited to 11 games in 2021, and his season was cut short after five contests last year due to a torn ACL. As a result, it came as little surprise when the Broncos released him in March and saved considerable cap space in the process.
When on the field, Darby performed well as part of a strong Broncos secondary. The 29-year-old recorded 67 tackles, nine pass deflections and one forced fumble across his 16 games in the Mile High City. He also performed well in coverage, allowing completion percentages of 54.3% and 38.9%. Especially if healthy – Rapoport adds that Darby’s recovery is going well – he could be an effective low-cost addition for the Texans and several other potential suitors.
Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 tweets that Darby is “drawing interest from multiple teams.” With training camps around the corner for most squads, a deal is likely not far away for the Florida State alum, and Houston would represent an intriguing destination. The AFC South outfit has 2022 third overall pick Derek Stingley Jr. in place at the corner spot, along with holdovers Steven Nelson and Desmond King.
The Texans also added Shaquill Griffin and Darius Phillips in free agency, giving them a number of options under new head coach DeMeco Ryans. Darby would add a starting-caliber cover man to the fold, but if no deal were to materialize in Houston, he would likely be able to land one elsewhere in the near future.
Darby’s injury history severely impacts his contract prospects, but he is a very good corner when healthy. He has decent size and length too, and has played in several schemes, and should adjust well to most game plans. He’s not as extreme an example as Jason Verrett, but Darby likely would have had a much different career had he stayed injury-free.