Ballhawk rookie Calen Bullock catches first pass on up-and-down day for Texans defense in win over Colts

INDIANAPOLIS – Calen Bullock read the eyes and intentions of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson as he dove into coverage, and his instincts kicked in.

They got him going in the right direction. The Texans rookie safety threw an interception in his first NFL game Sunday and provided one of the few bright spots for a defense that has been up and down, with some weak moments on long balls against a strong former fourth-round pick.

It was Bullock who stopped Richardson in the end zone, jumping in front of a pass intended for center Kylen Granson in the first half of a 29-27 game.

“I just ran at the quarterback, saw where he was looking and ran at the ball,” said Bullock, a third-round draft pick who caught nine passes in his USC career 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 now I get to go out there and get picked in my first game. I know my mom, she’s probably crying right now.”

At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds and with a 4.48-second 40-yard dash, Bullock is a strong defender with a proven track record of catching passes.

Signing a four-year, $5.856 million contract that includes a $1.079 million signing bonus, Bullock was selected with the 78th overall pick when Texans general manager Nick Caserio traded the original draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for the 86th and 123rd picks.

The All-Pac-12 selection from Pasadena, Calif., caught two passes last season and returned one for a touchdown. He had 61 tackles and seven interceptions.

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

The Texans won in the first NFL game for Bullock and rookie Kamari Lassiter.

Both had two tackles and defended one pass.

“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 a dub, it’s beyond words. We’ve been playing football our whole lives. This is taking our game to the highest level. We’ve played well, but we’ve got a lot to learn from, myself included.”

While Lassiter was starting out, Bullock replaced Eric Murray. He is expected to continue to expand his role in the future.

“Yeah, Kamari did his job,” Ryans said. “Calen did what he did every day in training camp. He went out and got the ball. So I’m very excited, very happy with what those two freshmen did for us.”

The Texans, however, had the aforementioned coverage issues, allowing a 60-yard pass to wide receiver Alec Pierce in the first quarter when he got behind Pro Bowl alternate cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and Ward. It looked like Stingley was expecting help up top, but Pierce simply sped up behind both defenders.

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

“We made plays when we had to, but not good enough,” Ryans said. “We have to eliminate the big plays. That’s when you give up points. When you give up big plays that equal points. So overall, we had some good bursts there, good third downs, but that last one just can’t happen.”

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

“I feel like I could have done a few things better,” Ward said. “I probably could have scored a few goals, gone into the film room and improved. We wanted them to be one-dimensional. We just had to make more plays defensively.”

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

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