The Houston Texans signed safety A.J. Hendy to their active roster on Wednesday, making him the fourth former Maryland player in the NFL playoffs.
The #Texans signed S A.J. Hendy to the active roster off the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad and placed S Mike Tyson on the Reserve/Injured list.
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— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 2, 2019
Injuries have decimated the Texans secondary this season, with safety Mike Tyson joining cornerbacks Kevin Johnson and Jermaine Kelly on injured reserve. Hendy has appeared in only one NFL game in his career, but with starting corner Johnathan Joseph dealing with a neck ailment, he could see significant playing time in Saturday’s Wild Card game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Hendy played at Maryland from 2011 to 2015 under Randy Edsall and Mike Locksley. The Bowie native saw sporadic playing time in his first three seasons, appearing in 30 games with six starts. He was suspended for the entire 2014 season after violating the student code of conduct, but started all 12 games as a redshirt senior the following year. Overall, Hendy recorded 142 tackles, two interceptions and nine passes defended during his tenure in College Park.
While fellow Terps Sean Davis, Yannick Ngakoue and Quinton Jefferson were selected in the 2016 NFL draft, Hendy didn’t hear his name called. But the Miami Dolphins signed him as a free agent after the draft, and activated him off the practice squad in week 17 for their game against the New England Patriots. He’s bounced around since then, spending some time with the Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers.
Three other former Maryland players are taking part in the NFL’s postseason. Defensive back J.C. Jackson is on a bye week with the Pats, while Jefferson will take the field on Saturday with the Seahawks and coach Frank Reich will lead the Colts against the Texans. The field isn’t as packed as it was last year, but Hendy’s presence helps to increase the odds that another Terp will follow in Torrey Smith’s footsteps.